The Indiana Pacers have shopped Roy Hibbert this summer and while no deal has yet gone down, teams like the Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns could be interested in a trade and that could be what Indy needs to finally get over the hump in the east, as Hibbert was a mess during the playoffs last season and that gave Indy the chance to explore some options.
Lance Stephenson signing with the Hornets may quell some of the trade speculation, as he was considered one reason why the team and Hibbert were off their games, but either way, he has been shopped, albeit "quietly". According to CBS Sports, the Pacers have shopped Hibbert this summer and one option could be the Portland Trail Blazers, as they made a run at Greg Monroe and then opted not to give him an offer sheet and they also showed interest in Hibbert back when he was an RFA.
Hibbert could be a bit of a redundancy with LaMarcus Aldridge there, but the Blazers know that he is set to be a free agent and while he has said he wants to sign back, things happen. The Bucks have cap space and the Nuggets also could be in the mix, as they have Kenneth Faried nearing free agency as well. A wild card in the mix could be the Phoenix Suns, as they have been looking for a veteran big for a year after flirting with a Pau Gasol trade. The Suns had 48 wins last season and are a team on the upswing and they have something the Pacers desperately need: a good point guard. The team has a glut of them with (not yet signed) Eric Bledsoe, newly drafted Tyler Ennis as well as Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas, who the team signed as restricted free agent.
According to ESPN.com reporter Marc Stein, the Pacers "dream" about getting Dragic in a deal to upgrade over George Hill, but so far the team has not been willing to part with him. One reason is the fact that he is on a team friendly deal at $7 million and also because it gives the Suns leverage until they sign Bledsoe. Dragic can easily take over and play with Thomas and Ennis if Bledsoe holds out or goes elsewhere, the team can hang onto him and use one of the other players in Bledsoe's role.
Hibbert averaged 10 points and six rebounds last season and was pretty terrible in the playoffs and while it's getting late in the summer for a deal like this, stranger things have happened. The Pacers need to do something to get back into the east finals, as they now may have to deal with a healthy Derrick Rose and the Bulls as well as LeBron James on the Cavaliers. The central division will be the prime division this year and Indy needs to make some moves other than signing Rodney Stuckey to get it done. The Pacers lost to the Heat for the second year in a row and now with Stephenson gone things could get back to normal after his antics knocked some things around last season.
