The Indiana Pacers have shopped Roy Hibbert trades this summer and while teams like the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Sixers and Jazz could be potential destinations, the team now likely has the idea of trading Hibbert trade off the table and now they are looking art free agent targets like MarShon Brooks and Gary Forbes after the injury to Paul George, as he will be out for the season with a serious leg fracture he suffered playing with USA Basketball in Las Vegas.
According to the Sporting News and Pro Basketball Talk, the Pacers have shopped Hibbert this offseason after his postseason performance and while no deal was close, the team looked at their options. Now that George is injured, it's very unlikely that the Pacers make a move. The Blazers could have been an option before Chris Kaman signed, while the Suns have long been looking for a veteran big and they thought about putting in an offer sheet on Greg Monroe.
Pro Basketball Talk now reports that MarShon Brooks and Gary Forbes are free agent options for the Pacers are options to replace George. The team needs some type of addition to help make up for that production and with the trade market not looking great, the team only has so many options to look at.
The Pacers now likely will not make any major moves involving Hibbert, as he is one of their star players and while he did not have a great postseason, the tam cannot afford to lose another member of their core. Portland was looked at as an option since they were a team that tried to sign Hibbert when he was a free agent, but they look committed to Robin Lopez and they also want to keep LaMarcus Aldridge when he hits free agency.
The loss of Lance Stephenson to the Charlotte Hornets now looks bad, but there was no way of knowing that Indiana would have an injury like this to George. The injury happened suddenly and came as he was hustling on a play and trying to stop his opponent in transition and now his career could be on a new trajectory. Reports say that George will make a full recovery, but with injuries like this it's never certain and now the Pacers must find a way to win without him.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls are battling the team in the central division and now Indiana will have to try and make up for his lost production. The team has players like Luis Scola and George Hill, but no one with the talent of George and that will make it extremely hard to win a championship this season, especially with LeBron back in Cleveland.
The Pacers have now lost to the Miami Heat in the conference finals in the last two playoff runs and the team was hoping to come back strong this season. The team lost Stephenson but added Rodney Stuckey and George was expected to take another major step forward after signing his extension. Now all those plans are up in the air and the team is in a similar situation as the Bulls over the past two years, as they had to suck it up and play without their best player in Derrick Rose.
