Heading into draft night the Pacers owned the 13th, 54th and 60th pick. The Pacers began the night with a trade. They sent the 54th and the 60th picks along with two future second round picks to the Bucks for the 31st pick, giving Indiana two first round picks.
The trade rumors kept swirling as the 13th pick arrived, however the Pacers decided to stay put as they were thrilled that one of their targets was still on the board. That would be Chris Duarte from Oregon. Duarte is a 6-6 guard, shot 42.4 percent from 3-point range as a senior at Oregon, was named Pac-12 Player of the Year and an All-American after averaging 17.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.9 steals.
The Pacers then made their second trade of the night, sending the 31st pick and Aaron Holiday to the Wizards for the 22nd pick which would be Isiah Jackson. Jackson a forward from Kentucky believes he could be a defensive anchor for the team. Head coach Rick Carlisle thinks Jackson will ” immediately be one of the best athletes on the Pacers roster”.
The Pacers will likely continue to be involved in a lot of trade rumors as the start of free agency approaches.
