Is there a trade on the horizon?

[Pooh]

A fan emailed Pacers.com analyst Conrad Brunner this week, asking if there was a trade in the Pacers future. Here was his response.

Certainly, Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh will consider trade possibilities prior to the Feb. 19 trade deadline. But there is less chance of a significant deal during the season than after it concludes for a variety of reasons.

In his history atop the franchise, Walsh has been extremely reluctant to make in-season trades under any cir stances. He has only pulled four February trades since 1986, when he became general manager. And he has never made such a deal when the team is performing well.

All of his pre-deadline deals came when the Pacers had losing records. In 1989, he made two deals, acquiring Detlef Schrempf from Dallas and LaSalle Thompson and Randy Wittman from Sacramento while shipping out Herb Williams and Wayman Tisdale. In 1997, he re-acquired Mark Jackson from Denver in a package that included sending Eddie Johnson to the Nuggets. And in 2002, he made the seven-player trade with Chicago that brought Ron Artest, Ron Mercer, Brad Miller and Kevin Ollie in exchange for Jalen Rose, Travis Best, Norm Richardson and a second-round pick.

Of course, with Bird now in charge of the basketball operations, things could change. But there are some restrictions that limit his options. O’Neal, Artest, Foster and Bender are all rendered virtually untradeable until next summer because their contracts fall under Base-Year Compensation rules. Don’t ask me to explain that one, just trust me. And there are other issues to consider.

Assuming the team continues to win, why break up a successful combination? Is there a trade out there that would put the Pacers on the same overall talent level as the Lakers? Putting all of the factors together, it seems unlikely that a major deal will be made during the season, although some periphery tinkering could be done. Next summer, however, the team’s trade options will be much greater, and so will the possibilities.

[God31]

Definetly a trade will be done. We have an awsome record but let's not get y. We are NOT as good as we've played. We have played awsome defensivly but we all know, in the NBA a great offense can beat a awsome defense.

One guy i'd love to see in Indiana is Brent Barry of Seattle. We have enough to package for him and Seattle won't need him once Ray Allen returns.

Barry isn't that good on defense, but isn't the worst. But Barry on Indiana, he'd be our best scorer, call me crazy, but i think he'd out score O'Neal. We would finally have a three point threat, something we've missed since the 2000 season when Reggie was still in his prime.

I don't know who we would trade, most likey Jonathan Bender and a big man, maybe Scot Pollard.

PG: Anderson
SG: Barry
C: Foster
PF: O'Neal
SF: Artest

Our bench would be awsome too, with Johnson, Reggie and Harrington.

[pacersrule03]

I can't say I agree with you, if we do pull off a trade I'd want a big man or good pg. I'm thinking Nick Van Exel, or maybe Eric Dampier from the warriors.

[Snickers520]

I wouldn't mind seeing a trade, as long as it's not out of desperation. I've heard too many fans say we need to shake things up, just because we haven't been so hot the last few games.

PG isn't a supremely vital position in Rick's offensive system [our PGs' primary job is to get the ball to JO and Al in the post. Reg and Ron have actually been running the offense more often than Kenny and AJ.], but I think an upgrade in the backcourt would be great for this team.

Kenny's been ok, but no better than ok. AJ's had some big games, and I really like him as our backup PG [actually, I think he should be starting over Kenny], but he's not spectacular, and really doesn't have true PG playmaking skills.

Brewer is still raw, but his quickness and defense merit giving him a shot, at least.

Tinsley doesn't seem to fit in at all, so I don't know if it's even worth considering him.

SG is another area where we could use some help, but I've been impressed with Freddie Jones lately. I'd like to see if he can develop into a solid SG before we try to acquire another.

On the other hand, a quality big man would be nice. I think a frontcourt of Ron, JO and Al is pretty effective, but it'd be nice if we were able to go big too. BTW, where did Jeff Foster go?

As usual, if we find a deal that improves the team, I'm all for it.

[Pooh]

Something I think will happen, I figure it will happen after the new year.

I just wouldn't want to see Harrington go, should the pull a trade off.