Indiana Pacers
Mike Conley to Indiana has been more of a media rumor than a team leak so far. We have yet to hear any chatter of Indiana actually having a potential package in mind for Conley. Nonetheless, reporters like Adrian Wojnarowski don’t bring up teams just for the fun of it. His comments are definitely related to something he has heard in NBA circles.
Indiana’s main goal this summer will either be to retain free agent forward Bojan Bogdanovic or make a move for a big name. Bogdanovic has a $13.6 million cap hold and the Pacers own his Bird Rights. Indiana will have enough cap space to absorb Conley if it renounces its other free agents and could still have the ability to go over the cap to re-sign Bogdanovic if it makes the trade before he signs a deal with another suitor.
There is a lot in motion there and according to ESPN‘s Bobby Marks, the San Antonio Spurs have already made it known that they want to open up cap space to make a run at Bogdanovic and bring him into their system. Indiana will have a tough time making all of that work while maintaining enough depth to make another playoff run.
Memphis will ask for Domantas Sabonis, a crucial piece of the Pacers’ rotation but one whose future is in doubt since he and Myles Turner don’t really mesh well together. The Grizzlies would also target Indiana’s first-rounder in this year’s draft at No. 18, but if the Pacers show signs of hesitation, Memphis should pivot to the 2022 NBA Draft and attempt to get Indiana’s first.
This could possibly be the double draft with outgoing high school seniors being eligible for selection, which will lead to an incredibly deep first round crop of talent. Even if Indiana required lottery protections on the pick, lottery-level talent would be available outside the top 14.