Assessing the Indiana Pacers at the Trade Deadline

The Indiana Pacers are prime candidates to be active players in trade dealings as 3 p.m. Thursday nears. While rumors are fun to speculate about, they've always seemed to be a waste of time to me, so instead I chose to look at the assets the Pacers possess, who is likely to get moved, and what needs to be addressed.

Not going anywhere

Danny Granger was named to the East All-Star team this season. He signed a five-year, $60 million extension and is the star of this team. It would take something major to move him away from Indy.

Brandon Rush has had some ups and downs in his first NBA season, but it is unlikely he'll be wearing anything other than a Pacers jersey for the next few years.

Although Jeff Foster has been included in recent trade rumors, he was recently signed to an extension and is a valuable part of this Pacers team. Although he's wanted by a lot of teams and would be a great role player on a major contender, it's highly unlikely this Indiana fan favorite will go anywhere.

Finally, rookie Roy Hibbert is the center of the future. He faces a lot of criticism that he doesn't fit into Indiana's current system well, but if he takes time in the offseason to run sprints and build up stamina, he'll be a great fit.

Not returning next season

Rasho Nesterovic's contract expires this season and the cost of bringing him will be too much for a team that apparently already is bleeding money. Look for Rasho to get traded, as his services are still wanted by other teams.

Marquis Daniels is currently playing one of the best seasons of his career, but with a team option at the end of season that would cost the Pacers too much, he will not be returning next season. Daniels could very well end this season on another team.

Jamaal Tinsley also will not be back next year. This will be accomplished through a trade or a buyout. Bird says he has received some offers for Jamaal, but I don't believe it. Either these offers have been absolutely horrible or Bird is trying to attract interest. More than likely, he'll be bought out in the offseason, but there's always hope that someone will take a trade out of desperation.

Possible trade pieces

Although Indiana just acquired T. J. Ford over the summer and he's been a great fit for the Pacers, if the right trade came along, Ford could easily find himself heading to a new city in order to bring in a star to complement Granger.

Jarrett Jack also has an expiring contract and he seems like a player who could easily return. He could fall into the same category as Ford, but could be more attractive than him to other teams because of his expiring deal.

What the Pacers need

The one glaring problem for this team is defense. Thirty-one of the Pacers' 54 games have been decided by five points or less. They are 11-20 in those games, and most of these can be attributed to late defensive collapses. The Pacers really need a big defensive post player who can make smart offensive plays without throwing the ball away.

Parting Thoughts

At this point, anyone on the Pacers (minus the four stars mentioned first) could find themselves somewhere else come Thursday. The front office recently said they wouldn't trade Foster or Rush...yet, if memory serves correctly, they also said that they wouldn't deal Jalen Rose the day before they sent him to Chicago.

Just remember that when you hear about trade deadline deals and rumors, there are no certainties until it's made official, so take everything with a grain of salt.

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