the Indiana Pacers made their intentions to make a full rebuild public and reportedly launched calls for tenders for stars Caris Levert, Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis. BasketballNews.com shared comprehensive take on potential landing spots for Levert, with a long list of teams that will benefit greatly from the scores the young star has to offer, such as the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz. Some young and emerging teams are also listed in the article as teams that would get a big boost from the Levert acquisition.
Despite being an exciting contestant, Levert is still working his way back in shape after a string of injuries that has got him in and out of the lineups in recent years. This version of Caris Levert doesn’t automatically change your net worth as a franchise, but there is one player in the Pacers who does and that is All-Star Domantas Sabonis. It will be interesting to see where Sabonis ends up after the Indiana fire sale, but here are a few goals that make sense for the Gonzaga forward.
Golden State Warriors
Sabonis on the Dubs would be downright scary and would make her a favorite to win anything, even over the Brooklyn Nets at full speed. A frontline of Domantas Sabonis and Draymond Green would give the Warriors playmaking skills in any position and make their offensive even more deadly than it is already. Imagine Draymond and Steph doing the hand-off on one side only to be able to do the same thing to Klay and Domantas on the weak side if the initial game fails? There is absolutely no way to defend that.
Of course, a deal has to be beneficial to both parties, and Indiana would only give up its star if they got what they need to rebuild. The Warriors can offer young players James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody to help the Pacers rebuild. Wiseman and Kuminga are top five picks, while Moody has the potential to make solid contributions to the NBA. The three young players would provide talented and athletic cornerstones for a possible promotion back to Indiana over the next 5-7 years.
Boston Celtics
If the Pacers don’t want to start from scratch, they should give Brad Stevens a call. The combination of Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown looks less like a dynamic duo, but more like a doubling of talents with each game of the two boys Celts share the ground. Tatum is the obvious choice to stay in Boston, and a direct swap from Sabonis for Brown is mutually beneficial like any other trade the NBA has seen in years.
We know Brad Stevens’ affinity for great men who can climb the rock, and Sabonis is all that and more. Sabonis has great high post instincts and can take the ball to athletic cutting wings like Tatum that allows them easy baskets. Giving up Brown would mean Boston giving up arguably its best defender, but with Smart and Josh Richardson, they’re not exactly without strong wing-backs. Brown would be a star in Indiana and would take a young Paul George to a town in need of a star to rally around with after seeing the full extent of his talents.
Philadelphia 76ers
You’d better believe that when The Athletic got the news, Daryl Morey was the first to pick up the phone. Morey’s attempts to land a star in return for Ben Simmons had simply failed, but this is the moment he’s been waiting for, a team of disgruntled stars or just wants to blow it up and start over. Indiana would be able to build a team around Simmons’ many talent, and while not California, Simmons doesn’t currently have the luxury of choice either.
Sabonis seems like an odd fit for that Six, especially with the fights of the Pacers who played him alongside Myles Turner. But even if Embiid is at his best when punishing defenders at the post, he will soon have to mix up his points of attack due to his durability. Hammering with other large bodies inside and constantly working through pick and rolls can put stress on the body that Embiid cannot afford in the regular season. Sabonis, on the other hand, is built for physical play inside and is a good decision maker outside of the short role. Having him on the team should allow Embiid to take a few plays offensively and use his excellent perimeter shooting to continue to pose a threat.
Do you think there are other teams in the game to win Sabonis? He’s a fantastic player and it would be great to see where Domantas can take his career to new heights.
