Roy Hibbert's career is on the brink. The star center of the Indiana Pacers has essentially disappeared in the postseason and the team is struggling because of it. He has looked utterly lost at times on the court, unable to make adjustments to the opposing offense. After a zero-point, zero-rebound performance in Game 1 against the Washington Wizards, many wonder just how long Indiana will put up with this.
ESPN NBA Insider Chris Broussard went on Mike & Mike to discuss the struggles of Hibbert and his future with Indiana. A brief look at Hibbert's contract, he is owed $14 million at the end of the season and $15 million in the final year of his contract before approaching free agency in 2016. That is a lot of money dedicated to player that has failed to do much of anything in the playoffs. Broussard reported that even one more poor performance from Hibbert will officially place the center on the trade blocks this summer.
Broussard believes that if the Pacers lose the second round to the Washington Wizards, Hibbert will get the blame and the trade rumors for the entire offseason. It seems a bit drastic to automatically put the center up for a trade after one back postseason run. However, there has been plenty of tension around Hibbert during the season regarding issues with teammates and his work ethic has come under fire, so it is not hard to hear some truth in Broussard's report.
Hibbert is one of the better big men in the NBA regardless of what his playoff numbers are saying about him right now. A postseason disappearance will certainly kill the interest of a few teams, but if available, someone will make a run at Hibbert, no question. There are plenty of teams in the market for a big man and Hibbert automatically becomes the best available if Indiana decides that.
The Los Angeles Lakers could be looking to make a deal. Paul Gasol might be on the outs leaving a roster spot open for Hibbert. The team essentially has no trade pieces to work with so it is hard to believe this deal could actually happen. The Dallas Mavericks will take a look. The team is currently interested in making a deal for Tyson Chandler, but Hibbert would be a better upgrade. The Boston Celtics might also be interested. They have had some lingering interest in backup center Omer Asik, but his asking price is too high. Hibbert's might be even higher plus he has a monster contract to his name, but the Celtics are ready to speed up the rebuilding process and the center would help.
All in all, the chances that Hibbert gets traded are highly unlikely. He is fresh off a four-year contract and has two All-Star appearances to his name. Yes, he is taking a slow nose dive in the postseason, but one good game turns everything around. However, if that one game never comes then the trade rumors might start to become a bit more true.