Two teams with glaring needs can seek to address them via trade. The Indiana Pacers need more size and the Pelicans need more scoring at the backcourt.
In the recent Scouts preview at SI, the outlook is bleak for the Paul George as Power forward experiment.
"I don't really see why they want to play Paul George more as a four; he's arguably the best three man in the league behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Why mess with that?" the unnamed scout asked.
They proceed to question the Pacers' offseason moves. "It's one thing to decide to move Hibbert, but then you come up with Jordan Hill? That's your back-up plan? . . . Ian Mahinmi is only a starting center if you have a legit All-Star at power forward. He's a guy you want on your team, a solid backup, resourceful. Defensively he's a presence, but offensively he's not ready to take that next step."
In other words, the Pacers need a solid frontcourt presence. Ryan Anderson may be one of the core players of the New Orleans Pelicans but the team has other needs to address, specifically with Tyreke Evans getting injured.
With their dismal start, perhaps the team really needs a makeover, and the fans know it. In the Pelican Debrief, this has been discussed twice in the past week.
"To make sure Davis does stay a Pelican for his entire career, the team needs to build an actual contender around him."
The other core players in question are Tyreke Evans, Eric Gordon, Jrue Holiday and Ryan Anderson. The sad part, as PD indicated, "none of those four players have a ton of trade value thanks to expiring contracts (Anderson and Gordon) or injury concerns (all four, really)."
The Pacers could take a chance on Anderson as he can still space the floor with his shooting. The Pacers are 0-2 and if the George at "Four" experiment flounders, Indiana will venture a trade to keep their playoffs hopes alive.
For the Pelicans, George Hill is the best option as he is a veteran scoring point guard, but Rodney Stuckey could also work to fill the scoring void left by Evans, who is out "indefinitely."