The Indiana Pacers have been shopping Roy Hibbert this summer and the Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers could be options for the Indiana Pacers and the team is also interested in trading for Goran Dragic from the Phoenix Suns and that could be an option for the team if the Suns sign back Eric Bledsoe or pick up Isaiah Thomas and could preclude a major three-team deal for Rajon Rondo.
The Pacers are coming into the offseason after losing to the Miami Heat again in the Eastern conference finals and Hibbert took the brunt of the criticism after his performance. Hibbert was invisible for some games and he threw up zeros on the stat sheet in multiple games in the postseason and that is one reason why he has been mentioned in trade rumors. Paul George and David West are locked up and Hibbert has a decent contract as well and it could be hard to trade, but a change of scenery may be best for both sides.
The Portland Trail Blazers are a potential landing spot for Hibbert after they gave him an offer sheet a couple years ago when he was a free agent, but since they are trying to sign LaMarcus Aldridge to a max contract they likely will not make the deal. The Pacers also have Lance Stephenson on the free agent market and it looks like he will be moving on, as he was offered a five year contract for $44 million that he rejected.
Marc Stein wrote on ESPN.com back on July 3 that the Pacers "dream" of a Dragic deal, as they feel point guard is a position where they need an upgrade over George Hill. Indiana has played well with Hill, but after the way the team performed in the eastern conference finals, the front office wants a more experienced and skilled leader in the offense. Stein writes that Dragic is a target since the Suns are also looking to sign Bledsoe and that could end up being a max deal. The team is also meeting with Isaiah Thomas and they also happen to be in the top half of the league in salary cap space this summer.
Hibbert was up and down in the playoffs last season and now with the Cavaliers making moves, the Pacers need to find a way to stack up. The Bulls are going to be better with a healthy Derrick Rose and the Cavaliers now have LeBron James. Indy will now be looking up to Cleveland in the standings most likely and this adds a little fire to the rivalry between James and the Pacers. Hibbert is a major part of the team, but they need changes and while Lance Stephenson is likely gone, the team has moves they can make.
LeBron surprised everyone and ended up back with the Cavaliers and now they are in the same division as the Pacers. James and Kyrie Irving are a great duo and the Cavaliers could also be trading for Kevin Love. There are tons of moving parts, but the Pacers need to find ways to keep up.