The Indiana Pacers are shopping Roy Hibbert in a trade and some options for Indy are the Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz and Milwaukee Bucks and Luis Scola could be included in the deal and the team does decide to trade Hibbert, they could be looking at a first round pick in return.
The Pacers are coming into the offseason after another defeat to the Miami Heat in the finals and now according to reports, the team is shopping big man Roy Hibbert after his subpar playoffs performance. According to ESPN.com, Pro Basketball Talk and the Sporting News, the Pacers are "quietly" shopping Hibbert around the league to gauge interest and some teams interested include the Nuggets and the Blazers, who gave Hibbert and offer a sheet a couple years ago when he was a restricted free agent.
ESPN.com reports that the Bucks could be an option for OJ Mayo along with a draft pick, while the Nuggets could be interested in Hibbert after looking into the Kevin Love trade talks earlier in the offseason. The Bucks also have Larry Sanders and they could be looking at making some big moves with Jason Kidd coming in and Jabari Parker getting drafted at the number two pick. The Nuggets have players to move and first round picks, including JaVale McGee and Randy Foye and they could be an option for the Pacers.
Indiana was disappointed with the way Hibbert played in the playoffs and now just a couple years after signing him to an extension, he could be gone. Lance Stephenson is likely on his way out after rejecting a five year deal from the team and that means moving Hibbert will open up some nice cap space. According to Marc Stein, the team is interested in trading for Goran Dragic and a trade to the Suns for Hibbert could net the team the point guard. The Suns reportedly are not looking to trade Dragic unless it's a mega-deal, so that likely means it will not happen this summer.
Hibbert is coming in with a $14.8 million contract and the team may feel moving him is the best move after he had multiple zero-zero lines in the NBA playoffs. A change of scenery could be good for Hibbert, as the fans started to turn on him in the end. The Blazers likely would not pull off this deal if LaMarcus Aldridge commits to a max contract, but right now that is still up in the air.
Aldridge is one of the top bigs in the league and he is heading into the final year of his contract. Aldridge broke out in the playoffs this year with back to back 40 point game and he is looking at max money and the Blazers have offered him a deal. The Pacers need to make some changes after the playoff run they had last year and moving Hibbert could be the first move. The team also is possibly looking into a trade for Rajon Rondo and Marc Stein writes that it would likely be a three team deal if it went down with the Phoenix Suns.
