The Indiana Pacers and Phoenix Suns are talking a Goran Dragic trade this offseason and the Boston Celtics could get into the mix, as Indy may try and swing a trade for Rajon Rondo in a deal for Roy Hibbert and that could be an option for the three sides over free agent contracts for players like Isaiah Thomas, Lance Stephenson or Luol Deng, as Indy is looking to upgrade at point guard and the Suns know that they likely can't afford to keep both Dragic and Eric Bledsoe, who is a restricted free agent.
According to Marc Stein from ESPN.com, the Suns and Pacers were talking a deal for Goran Dragic to help upgrade Indy at the point guard position and with that, Indy is trying to get Rondo in a multi-team trade that would include Dragic. The original talks may have been laying the groundwork for a deal of that magnitude and that would mean the Celtics finally decided on a move regarding Rondo. The team knows it needs to sign him long term or trade him eventually and they could end up with a solid point guard or someone like Hibbert if the deal goes through.
There are a number of moving parts since Rondo is one of the prizes of the NBA and on top of that, the Suns want to ensure that they keep Bledsoe. The Suns were one of the surprise teams in the NBA last season and they come into the summer knowing that they want to lock up Bledsoe long term, but that likely means dealing Dragic. The team drafted Tyler Ennis at point guard and he could come in for Dragic if he is traded, while the Celtics may try and swing a deal with Rondo involving Dragic and Roy Hibbert with the Pacers.
Stein adds that the Pacers may not have enough to get the Suns to trade Dragic, which is one reason why the Celtics may get involved in a deal. The Pacers may try and snag Rondo, while the Suns actually were mentioned in Rondo trade rumors earlier in the season and they could sneak in as well. Rondo has been mentioned in trade rumors since last summer and the Celtics have mostly rebuffed offers for him, but this one could take off if the Suns are into it.
The Pacers are in an interesting situation heading into the offseason, as they have Lance Stephenson as their top free agent and they also would like to upgrade at the point guard position with George Hill coming back. The team was beaten for the second straight season in the east finals by the Miami Heat and they are looking to get better in certain spots heading into the 2014-15 schedule, as their window could be closing a bit.
Hibbert could get traded this summer after the way he performed in the playoffs and according to Stein, he said after the season to the team that he would be open to getting traded. The Blazers have often been mentioned in connection with Hibbert after they made a restricted offer to him a couple years ago and they are a team to watch if the Pacers work a different deal with Hibbert.
