Pacers' Updated Roster, Starting Lineup, Salary Cap After Sabonis Trade with Kings
The Indiana Pacers made a blockbuster trade Tuesday, sending a package headlined by big man Domantas Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings for a package including guards Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Kings are sending Haliburton, Hield and center Tristan Thompson to the Kings for Sabonis and guards Jeremy Lamb and Justin Holiday.
Wojnarowski added that the Kings will receive a 2027 second-round draft pick as well.
In the wake of the massive deal, the Pacers' projected starting lineup and depth chart are as follows:
Current Starting Lineup
PG Malcolm Brogdon*; SG Tyrese Haliburton*; SF Chris Duarte; PF Isaiah Jackson; C Goga Bitadze
(*The positions for Brogdon and Haliburton are interchangeable)
Depth Chart
PG: Malcolm Brogdon / T.J. McConnell / Ricky Rubio (INJ) / Keifer Sykes
SG: Tyrese Haliburton / Chris Duarte / Buddy Hield / Duane Washington Jr.
SF: T.J. Warren (INJ) / Torrey Craig / Oshae Brissett / Lance Stephenson / Terry Taylor
PF: Isaiah Jackson / Tristan Thompson
C: Myles Turner (INJ) / Goga Bitadze / Reggie Perry
Per Spotrac, the Pacers now have a total salary cap number of $135,532,248 after the deal.
In trading Sabonis, the Pacers parted way with arguably their best player, as the 25-year-old big man was selected to the All-Star Game in back-to-back seasons entering 2021-22.
Sabonis averaged career highs last season with 20.3 points and 6.7 assists per game, and while he hasn't quite been at that level this season, he has remained highly productive.
In 47 games, Sabonis is averaging 18.9 points, 12.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists while shooting 58.0 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Trading a player of Sabonis' caliber may be a signal that the Pacers are rebuilding amid a disappointing 19-36 season that has them placed 13th in the Eastern Conference.
Sabonis, who is signed through 2023-24, may be the crown jewel of the trade, but the Pacers got a solid haul in return.
Hield, 29, has developed into one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA over the past few seasons, making him a hot commodity on the trade market.
In this his sixth NBA season, Hield is averaging 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.3 three-pointers made and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 38.2 percent from the floor and 36.8 percent from long range.
The Oklahoma product truly broke out in 2018-19 when he averaged a career-high 20.7 points per game. He also made 3.4 three-pointers per contest and shot 42.7 percent from long range.
Hield followed that up with averages of 19.2 points and 3.8 three-pointers made per game the following season. His scoring average dropped to 16.6 in 2020-21, but he made a career-high 4.0 trifectas per game and shot 39.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Hield is a 40.0 percent shooter from three-point range during his career, and he should add another dimension to the Pacers' offense.
Like Sabonis, Hield is signed through 2023-24, and that is also the case for Haliburton.
The 21-year-old Haliburton was the No. 12 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, and he has performed well during his second NBA season, averaging 14.3 points, 7.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 2.0 three-pointers made and 1.7 steals per game.
Haliburton played alongside De'Aaron Fox in Sacramento, but the pairing didn't yield winning results. Now, Haliburton will try his hand at teaming with Pacers point guard Malcolm Brogdon, who can't be traded until the offseason after signing an extension in October.
The Pacers could still trade Myles Turner and T.J. Warren before Thursday's deadline, although Turner and Warren are dealing with injuries that could make them more difficult to move.
While the Pacers are looking toward the future, acquiring Sabonis could be a sign the Kings are trying to make a playoff push this season, as they are just two games out of the final spot in the postseason play-in tournament despite only having a 20-35 record.
