ESPN’s Bobby Marks released his Western Conference trade deadline primer, and in his “trades we’d like to see” paragraph, he included a deal that would send Hart to the Pacers for McConnell and Duarte. In this scenario, that trade gets expanded to give the Blazers some more size.
That Charlotte/Minnesota second-rounder comes into play again, and Indiana gets the chance to develop a young point guard behind Tyrese Haliburton while bringing back Eubanks to fill the forward void.
Smith is a 6-10 floor spacer who shot 37 percent from three when he arrived in Indiana from Phoenix last season. That percentage has dropped this year, but the former Maryland Terrapin is still scoring almost 10 ppg and adding 5.8 rebounds.
The Pacers have Isaiah Jackson and Smith currently spelling Myles Turner, and Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle has been playing one or the other depending on matchups. Having Eubanks allows him to continue that trend.
Smith is the more offensive-minded player, while Jackson is a Vanderbilt-lite of sorts with his athleticism and defensive ability. In reality, Portland couldn’t go wrong with either, but Smith wins out here because of the offense he would provide the Blazers.