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INDIANAPOLIS — As Thursday’s 3 p.m. NBA trade deadline, the Pacers don’t fit into the obvious mold of a buyer or seller.
They have one of the worst records in the NBA so they obviously can’t logically look for parts to make a championship push. However, they are also just seven months removed from playing in the NBA Finals and they have reason to believe they can at least be a playoff team again next season when they get All-Star point guard and face of the franchise Tyrese Haliburton back from the Achilles tendon tear that is costing him this entire season, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense for the Pacers to sell off veteran parts either.
But it also doesn’t seem like the best move for the Pacers to stand pat, as they still need to do some reloading if they intend to make another Finals push over the next 2-3 years and they need to do some financial housekeeping to assure that they don’t find themselves in the bind that come with being over luxury tax aprons. Though they planned to try to avoid it, they are in the midst of what could be considered the definition of a “gap year” and their unique circumstances actually make them one of the most intriguing NBA teams to watch at the deadline.
With that in mind, here’s a look at players the Pacers could move and who they could target at the deadlines. As a reminder, per NBA collective bargaining agreement rules, NBA trades generally require close to matching salaries among the players changing hands with the level of leeway in that regard being determined by where each team stands in relation to the salary cap, luxury tax threshold and tax aprons.
Who They Might Move
Bennedict Mathurin, wing
2025-26 Salary (per Spotrac.com): $9,187,573
Outlook: There are bigger names potentially on the trading block, but the consensus among national NBA media suggests that Pacers fourth-year wing Bennedict Mathurin is one of the players most likely to be moved at the deadline.
Mathurin and the Pacers did not come to an agreement on a contract extension in the summer and he will become a restricted free agent when the NBA calendar turns over on June 30. The Pacers would have a head start on bargaining with Mathurin as they could begin negotiations the day after the NBA Finals ends and they would have the opportunity to match any offer another team makes. However, if they weren’t interested in doing an extension then, it’s hard to see how they’d be more inclined to sign him now.
Sprains to Mathurin’s right great toe and right thumb have held him back, and though he’s third on the Pacers at 17.5 points per game, his efficiency numbers haven’t been great and he hasn’t done much to counter the argument that he’s not an easy fit with the style of play the Pacers lean into when Haliburton is healthy. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has been working with Mathurin for years on trying to make quicker decisions to shoot, drive or pass because when Haliburton is on the floor, the ball and player movement is constant. However, Mathurin seems most comfortable when he can slow the ball down and take defenders on one-on-one, drive to the basket and draw fouls. Guard Andrew Nembhard and forward Aaron Nesmith have been easier fits and more reliable on defense, so it’s been hard for Mathurin to dislodge them from starting spots at shooting guard and small forward, respectively, next to Haliburton.
For that reason, it might be best for Mathurin to go somewhere that would make him more of a focal point of an offense, and if there’s a team willing to pay him well to do so the Pacers might not be inclined to match that offer. Therefore it might be best to move him now to make sure they don’t lose the player they took No. 6 overall in 2022 — their highest draft pick since No. 2 Rik Smits in 1988 — for nothing. Mathurin is the fourth-leading scorer in terms of career scoring average and third in terms of total points in the class behind only Orlando’s Paolo Banchero and Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams in both categories. The Pacers will likely have to include draft capital and perhaps another player with Mathurin to try to bring in a starting caliber center, but he’s at least a talented enough scorer and athlete to draw interest.
Jarace Walker, forward
2025-26 Salary: $6,665,520
Outlook: After spending his first two seasons scrapping and clawing for a rotation spot, Walker has received far more playing time this season and for much of the early going he wasn’t making the most of the opportunity. Heading into the month of January, Walker was shooting just 35.2% from the floor and 31.6% from 3-point range and wasn’t doing much else on defense or the glass to make up for the offensive inefficiency.
In January, however, the 6-7, 235-pounder operated as the player the Pacers wanted when they drafted him No. 8 overall in the 2023 draft. He averaged 11.7 points per game on 48.1% shooting including 50.8% 3-point shooting (30 of 59) to go with 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He had 18 steals in 15 games, playing solid defense against top scorers while still creating havoc with his hands.
In so doing, Walker may have played himself off the trade block. However, the Pacers very much need an every-day starting center and they can go elsewhere for wing and forward depth. He’s a much more attractive trade chip than he was a month ago. Though they might find it hard to part with him just as he’s finding himself in the league, they may have to lose something that hurts to get their 5 man of the future. If they do manage to keep him though and. he keeps making progress, they’ll at least try to ink him to a team-friendly rookie contract extension in the offseason.
Isaiah Jackson, center
Salary: $7,600,000
Outlook: The Pacers have Jackson on a three-year contract and he’s been productive coming off the bench since he was drafted in 2021, but if they do acquire a center, there’s a good chance they’ll have to move Jackson to match salaries and give their trade partner a replacement center.
Jackson is not the same player he was prior to the Achilles tendon tear that cost him most of last season. He still leads the Pacers in rebounds per 36 minutes with 11.7, but he hasn’t been as effective as a rim protector or lob finisher as he was prior to the injury. He’s averaging just 0.7 blocks per game, the lowest figure of his career and his 1.5 blocks per 36 minutes are well short of his 2.8 career average. He has just 21 dunks in 35 appearances this season after recording 72 in 59 games in 2023-24.
Next year could be better and he could give the Pacers another high-energy option off the bench, but he doesn’t seem likely to become their every-day starter. Jay Huff hasn’t been much more effective than Jackson and he isn’t nearly as good of a rebounder. However, Huff’s shooting ability will be a necessity if the center the Pacers get isn’t a stretch 5 and there isn’t much in way of outside shooting in the centers on the market.
Obi Toppin, forward
2025-26 Salary: $14,000,000
Outlook: Toppin has been out since the season’s third game, and his absence has been felt more than the Pacers might have expected. Without Toppin — and of course, Haliburton — the Pacers have never been able to put up transition points the way they did the last two seasons. After ranking fourth in the NBA in fast-break points per game in 2023-24 and fifth in 2024-25, they rank 25th this season with just 13.4 per game.
However, if the Pacers want to swing really big for a center with the least amount of disruption to their rotation, they’d have to include Toppin in a deal for salary reasons. They have six players on the roster making more than $10 million per year this season, but just two making more than $20 million in All-Strs Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, who are both on 30% max deals at $45.5 million. Those two appear to be off limits and so does guard Andrew Nembhard, who is third on the payroll at $18.1 million. Aaron Nesmith ($11 million) can’t be traded this season because of the off-season extension he signed. The Pacers also seem to have no interest in moving veteran point guard T.J. McConnell, and he’s just barely in eight figures anyway at $10.2 million.
So if the Pacers pursue a player making $20 million or more, Toppin probably has to be included to make the math work. Considering Toppin’s value, however, they’d have to be pretty sure about whatever center they were targeting to make that kind of move.
Who they might target
Daniel Gafford, Mavericks center
Salary: $14,386,320
Outlook: The Pacers reportedly checked in with the Clippers about Ivica Zubac’s availability, but they have turned their season around and sit in 10th in the West, holding the final play-in spot, so it now seems highly unlikely that they’d be willing to move their starting center. The Mavericks aren’t far out of play-in position, but they have more incentive to commit to a rebuild and a number of movable assets at the five.
The 27-year-old Gafford wouldn’t give the Pacers everything they’d want in a ball-screen partner for Haliburton — he’s never made a 3-pointer in seven seasons and has only attempted one — but the bouncy 6-10, 265-pounder is a career 70.3% shooter with over 65% of his career attempts coming within 3 feet of the basket and more than 97% coming from within 10 feet. He has 747 career dunks, an average of nearly 150 per 82 games. He also averages 10.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per 36 minutes.
Gafford has a contract extension kicking in in 2026-27 that will pay him $54.38 million over three years, starting at $17.3 million next season and coming in at just under $19 million in 2028-29. This year, however, the Pacers would just have to send over Mathurin’s salary to be approved. Gafford would likely require some trade capital to make the move work but the Pacers still have all of their first-round picks from 2026-2032 and could make that happen.
Yves Missi, Pelicans center
2025-26 Salary: $3,053,040
Outlook: Jake Fischer of the Stein Line recently reported that the Pacers were in discussions with the Pelicans about a deal that would involve Mathurin and Missi though the Pacers were hoping to get a greater return out of Mathurin. It’s worth noting, of course, that because of the salary discrepancy between the two players, the Pelicans would have to give the Pacers more to make the deal work.
The Pacers have had success with players with backgrounds like Missi’s. The 21-year-old who was born in Belgium and grew up in Cameroon, was taken 21st in the 2024 draft and earned second-team All-Rookie honors last year with 9.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. This year he’s seen his playing time cut with the Pelicans’ addition of Derick Queen and Missi’s come off the bench, but he’s still proven to be an excellent rebounder, shot blocker and rim finisher. He’s averaging 10.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per 36 minutes and shooting 53.6% from the floor. He has 37 dunks after recording 116 last year and at 6-11, 235 pounds with a 7-2 wingspan and 38 1/2-inch vertical he has potential to grow in those areas.
The Pelicans would have to trade the Pacers somebody else to get Mathurin. Among the options would be young sharpshooter Jordan Hawkins and multi-talented forward Saadiq Bey. If the Pelicans were willing to give Missi up for cheap, Ben Sheppard would even be enough for the Pacers to send over to match the salaries.
Nic Claxton, Nets center
2025-26 Salary: $25,352,272
Outlook: Claxton would appear to be the Pacers’ most expensive center target. To get Claxton, the Pacers would either have to give up Mathurin, Walker and Jackson or involve Toppin in the deal.
It’s notable, however, that Claxton’s contract descends the next two years after this, as that could make it easier for the Pacers to stay under the tax apron if they would acquire him. Claxton has been reliably strong on the glass and as a rim protector throughout his career, and he’s having his best offensive season with 12.3 points and 4.1 assists per game. He’s still just 10 of 52 from 3-point range for his career, but he’s slowly trying to expand his game season after season and he’s still reliable around the rim, making 77.5% of his attempts within 3 feet of the basket. He’s averaged double figure scoring and at least 7.4 rebounds per game in each of his four seasons as a starter with the Nets, so the return for the added price would be his consistency as a starter.
Walker Kessler, Jazz center
2025-26 Salary: $4,878,938
Outlook: Kessler is out for the season with a torn labrum and acquiring him is a risk because his contract is expiring and he’ll be a restricted free agent in June. Acquiring Kessler really just means acquiring the right to negotiate first with him and to be able to match offers in restricted free agency. He apparently had a very high extension request for the Jazz and that’s why they didn’t sign him, so keeping him around won’t be easy.
However, the best version of Kessler could be exactly what the Pacers need at the 5. The 7-2, 248-pounder averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, shooting 66.3% from the floor in 58 games last season. This year he played in just five games before his injury, but he shot 70.3% from the floor and made 6 of 8 3-pointers, matching his previous career-high in 3s for a season in just five games. Kessler is still just 24 and he might be the complete package as a 5 man.
The Jazz have cap space available so they could take on Mathurin’s salary even though it’s significantly more than Kessler’s and they might also be interested in Walker. Plus they would probably ask for draft compensation. And it wouldn’t guarantee that Kessler would ever play a game for the Pacers. It’s a clear risk, but it might have the most upside.
Jalen Smith, Bulls center
2025-26 Salary: $9,000,000
Outlook: If the Pacers can’t make anything else work, a nice backup plan might be to bring back an old friend. The Pacers liked what they got out of Smith for two plus seasons from February of 2022 through the 2023-24 season. He declined his player option for 2024-25 as the Pacers expected and they knew they couldn’t afford to keep him to be a backup to Myles Turner. However, with Turner gone, Smith might be one of the best fits to be his replacement at a cheap price. He’s averaging 10.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game off the bench for the Bulls. He’s grabbing 12.4 rebounds per 36 minutes and also shooting 38.0% from 3-point range with 63 made 3s, making him a better outside shooting option than any of the other centers they’re looking at.
The Bulls have been rumored to have interest in Mathurin and the Pacers could get Smith for Mathurin straight up. The Bulls are apparently looking to move Ayo Dosunmu, who is also on an expiring contract. The Pacers could get Dosunmu and Smith for Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson and ultimately improve at both the 5 and the wing.
Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.