The Indiana Pacers have quietly shopped Roy Hibbert this summer and while no deal is imminent, some options could include the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets or Atlanta Hawks, as the team is looking to upgrade at point guard and could find a partner in one of those teams if they want to ship Hibbert out of Indy after his terrible playoff performance in 2014.
Just because the Pacers shopped Hibbert this offseason it doesn't mean he will get traded, but there is a chance that the team could pull off a late move like they did with Luis Scola last season. According to the Sporting News, the Pacers have "quietly" shopped Hibbert this summer to gauge interest and see what they could get and some teams identified as potential destinations include the Blazers, Suns and Nuggets.
Hibbert had a rough stretch in the playoffs last season, putting up zero stat lines multiple times and while the Pacers have him on a multiyear deal, if they get the right package they could trade him. The Blazers made Hibbert an offer sheet a couple years ago before he signed his extension, but they have LaMarcus Aldridge and signed Chris Kaman, so they likely are out. The Nuggets may end up losing Kenneth Faried and that could be an option, while the Suns have been interested in an offer sheet for Greg Monroe. If that doesn't work, they could turn their attention to Hibbert, as the Pacers are interested in point guard Goran Dragic.
Last season the Pacers were the best team in the east for the first half before falling apart and while they kept the top seed, they nearly lost in the playoffs to the Hawks. Lance Stephenson is now gone and many think that will have a positive effect on the Pacers, but a trade with Hibbert still could be possible. Stephenson left on a three-year, $27 million deal with the Hornets and to help replace him the team signed Rodney Stuckey.
The Pacers have George Hill at point guard and now have added Stuckey and while they would love Dragic, according to Marc Stein at ESPN.com, the Suns are not looking to trade him at this time. Last season the Pacers were one of the top defensive teams in the league, but their scoring was not up to par and while they finished first in the east, they lost in the playoffs again to the Miami Heat. While LeBron James is now gone, the heat remain a threat with Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng and they could be a thorn in the side of the Pacers once again.
This year Indiana has to find a way to break through, as many consider them the best team in the east, but they have now missed out on the finals over the past four years as Miami has dominated. The division now will be tougher with James returning to Cleveland and if Derrick Rose can stay healthy, the Bulls are major players as well. The east should be tough once again and the Pacers likely need to do more than just add Stuckey to get things rolling.
