Pacers must make trade after devastating injury; could Wizards be a match?

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Oct 10, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Indiana Pacers center James Wiseman (13) shoots beside Cleveland Cavaliers forward JT Thor (15) in the fourth quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers are fresh off a surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season and are aiming to go on another deep playoff run this season. They had one of the slowest offseasons of any team in the league, as their only non-draft addition was backup center Jalen Smith signing with the Chicago Bulls.

To fill that void in the frontcourt, the Pacers signed James Wiseman to back up Myles Turner. Last season with the Detroit Pistons, Wiseman averaged 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds off the bench.

Late in the first quarter of the Pacers’ season opener, Wiseman went down with an injury and did not return. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Thursday that the center suffered a torn left Achilles tendon, and there is no timeline yet for his return.

Most players take between eight and 12 months to recover from an Achilles injury, so Wiseman’s season is likely over. 

That leaves Indiana with only one true center behind Turner: James Johnson, who is 37 years old and played in only nine games last season. He is playing a similar role in Indiana as Udonis Haslem had with the Miami Heat: a veteran presence who doesn’t play that much.

With Wiseman out, the Pacers need a capable player to back up their starter. Enter the Washington Wizards. They have a lot of depth in their frontcourt but would be willing to part ways with a veteran center for a future-driven package of picks. As Indiana becomes desperate, they could send Aaron Nesmith and two second-round picks to the capital for Marvin Bagley III.

Bagley, like Wiseman, was selected second overall and is widely considered to be a bust. Last season, he posted 11.7 points and 6.2 rebounds and could be a viable backup center as the Pacers look to go forward with their season.

Of course, Washington would smell blood in the water. While Wiseman is not worth a first-round pick, the Wizards could pry away Nesmith, who is a solid starter. With the continued emergence of Bennedict Mathurin, Nesmith’s role in Indiana could shrink, and the Pacers could flip him to address a position of need. 

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Jonah Kubicek

Jonah Kubicek has been covering the NBA since 2021 when he was attending Oakland University. He has covered all 30 teams at points but has spent the majority of his time covering the Warriors, Pacers, Rockets, Magic, Jazz, Pistons and his beloved Spurs. He has been published by FanSided, Sports Illustrated, Athlon, GiveMeSport and The Sporting News.