New Orleans Pelicans: 3-team Jrue Holiday trade with Celtics and Pacers

New Orleans Pelicans: Trading Jrue Holiday to Celtics for Kemba Walker

Why the Pacers would do it

The Pacers never miss a chance to add another white guy and now they’ve got the whitest of them all in Gordon Hayward!

All kidding aside, Hayward is from Indiana, would probably love to play out the rest of his career at home and could sign a reasonable extension that the Pacers could afford.

They’d have to pay one year for premium Hayward but then would likely get a decent discount if they are able to extend him this offseason when the cap is down and he has no leverage.

Myles Turner is reportedly just one of the Pacers who is unhappy and wants a new team, so it makes sense for them to jettison him for a guy who actually wants to be there.

Hayward would instantly be a fan favorite and brings a lot more to the table as an all-around talent than Myles Turner.

The Pacers also pick up an early second-round pick for their troubles, #39, which could actually prove to be valuable in a draft where some of the best players may slide.

The Pacers could then flip Victor Oladipo for even more assets and build their team around Domantas Sabonis, Hayward, Malcolm Brogdon, TJ Warren and whatever they get for Oladipo.

That is a solid foundation and they’d also clear a ton of cap space in the process, especially if they were able to fold Hayward’s option year into an extension with less AAV.

This trade would help the Pacers rebuild and still compete at the same time, while adding a home town star to the roster. It makes sense.