INDIANAPOLIS — While he was processing the disappointment in the immediate aftermath of the NBA Draft Lottery that left him without a pick in the 2026 draft, Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard indicated that everything, at this point, is still on the table for this summer.
“We’re in win-now,” Pritchard said. “We’re going to try to make moves this summer. Maybe around the edges, maybe big. We’ll see about that.”
Pritchard made more indications about what might guide his thinking, noting that he viewed the likely return of seven core players, including six who were key to the Pacers’ 2025 NBA Finals run, as the biggest reason for his optimism going into 2026-27. That seemed to suggest that starters Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and Ivica Zubac, and key bench pieces Obi Toppin and T.J. McConnell are off the table in terms of trade considerations. If they are, that would seem to limit the Pacers’ opportunities to swing big in either trades or free agency as they are the seven players the Pacers have who make $10 million or more per year and they combine to take up about $175 million in projected cap space, which alone puts them well above the projected $165 million salary cap.
“Our top seven or eight players are still with us,” Pritchard said. “… Let’s give this group an opportunity to go compete for a championship. They’ve proven they can do it and we’ve added a really good center in Zu.”
Still, Pritchard has made unexpected moves before, including the trade that brought in Haliburton from the Kings in 2022, so he could easily go against those indications. This roster has largely been built on bold moves with Haliburton, Siakam, Zubac, Nesmith and Toppin having been brought in by way of trades. That could mean that Pritchard has already made his boldest moves to build this group or he could make another one.
“I never feel like you can slow play your way into success in this league,” Pritchard said. “You have to swing.”
With that in mind, here’s a look at players the Pacers could target with big swings. We’ll look at smaller moves in the next story.
The Blockbuster Move No One Sees Coming — Giannis Antetokounmpo
What It Would Take: Bucks would get Pascal Siakam and Jarace Walker, Pacers’ first-round picks in 2028, 2030 and 2032, at least one second-round pick.
Outlook: Let’s first stipulate that the odds of this deal — or any deal happening that brings Antetokounmpo to Indiana — are microscopic.
If the Bucks decide to move Antetokounmpo — whose greatness in franchise history is only rivaled by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — they’d much rather send him to the Western Conference and they certainly wouldn’t want to have to face him four times per year in the Central Division, in addition to possible playoff matchups. The Pacers, meanwhile, have been thrilled with Siakam’s production, his fit with their system on both offense and defense and even his leadership, which has blossomed in ways it never really had during his time in Toronto. Considering what he’s done for the Pacers in just 2 1/2 seasons — helping them to the Eastern Conference Finals twice and the Finals once before holding the team together in the midst of the most star-crossed season in franchise history — sending him to a Milwaukee team heading for a full rebuild would seem to be a particularly low move.
Plus, there would be a significant risk factor on the Pacers’ part to take on Antetokounmpo. The two-time MVP and nine-time All-NBA pick is, of course, on a supermax contract that pays him 35% of the salary cap each year as opposed to Siakam’s 30%, and Antetokounmpo has a player option for 2027-28, while Siakam does not. If the Pacers were to take on Antetokounmpo, they would immediately find themselves on the same roller coaster the Bucks have been on trying to keep the megastar happy enough to not seek greener pastures. Also, Siakam is eight months older than Antetokounmpo but Antetokounmpo has more wear on his tires with 204 more regular season games and the physical nature of his game tends to lead him to the inactive list from time to time. He played just 36 games in 2025-26 and in the last four seasons, Siakam has appeared in 291 games to Antetokounmpo’s 236. If the Pacers were to make a deal, and Antetokounmpo had some issues with his knee or calf or ankle as he has in the past, the Pacers could easily find themselves getting one shortened season of him and then losing him in free agency.
That being said, going after Antetokounmpo is a move that’s at least worth some contemplation if the Pacers are thinking NBA title and not just about winning the East again. Winning the whole thing likely means going through the Thunder or Spurs in the Finals, and both of them can trot out massive two-big lineups with Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren in Oklahoma City and Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet in San Antonio. As good as Siakam is, a frontcourt of Antetokounmpo and Zubac gives the Pacers a better match for that. Plus, Wembanyama seems closer to taking over the league every game. Antetokounmpo, still a top-five player in the league at 31, might be one of the few players in the NBA who could slow him down in that pursuit.
The Slightly Less Blockbuster But Still Risky Move — Trey Murphy III
What It Would Probably Take: The Pelicans get Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin, Pacers’ first-round picks in 2028, 2030, 2032.
Outlook: If Pritchard were to create a wing in a lab to fit into the Pacers’ system on both ends of the floor, he would look a lot like Trey Murphy III.
The 6-8, 206-pounder has toiled in anonymity in New Orleans but he’s the near perfect prototype for the modern 3-and-D wing. He’s averaged better than 21 points per game in each of the past two seasons with nearly 60% of his career field goal attempts coming beyond the 3-point arc. He’s hit at least 150 3s in each of the past four seasons including a career-high 214 this season. He’s made 38.2% of his career attempts and he’s particularly effective in catch-and-shoot situations. This season, according to NBA.com’s tracking data, he made 42.6% of his catch-and-shoot 3s and 40.2% of the 3-pointers he took within two seconds of catching the ball.
Murphy also averaged career highs in rebounds (5.7 per game) and steals (1.5 per game) with the kind of length and athleticism that allows him to defend multiple positions. As good and as effective as Nesmith has been at small forward since he was acquired from Boston in 2022, Murphy would be an upgrade on both ends of the floor.
That being said, Murphy is due $27 million in 2026-27 so if Haliburton, Siakam and Zubac were all considered off limits in a Murphy trade, the Pacers would need to send two players from the group of Nesmith, Nembhard, McConnell, Toppin or Walker to make a trade work in terms of a salary match. Plus, the Pelicans have already indicated that they’re looking for a king’s ransom in terms of draft picks in any deal involving Murphy, something that would be on par with what the Grizzlies got from the Magic for Desmond Bane (four first-rounders) or what the Nets got from the Knicks for Mikal Bridges (five first-rounders). Though the Pacers might be interested in an upgrade at the 3, the gap between Nesmith and Murphy might not be enough for them to give up some of their depth and picks they can use to build their future.
Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Deeper look at Pacers’ top trade targets: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Trey Murphy
Reporting by Dustin Dopirak, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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