The Indiana Pacers would probably like to rebuild but they need to get rid of some higher priced players for that to happen. T.J. Ford, Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, Dahntay Jones and Jeff Foster can all be had this summer. I’m not so sure that the Pacers would require a lot back for any of them except Murphy. The Pacers want to get younger building the team around Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert, Tyler Hansbrough, Brandon Rush, Paul George, Lance Stephenson and Magnum Rolle. I don’t see the Pacers looking to spend a lot on free agents but they might look for a starting caliber point guard. Shaun Livingston, Steve Blake and Nate Robinson will likely be on their radar this summer as they are all free agents.

The Pacers selected 23-year old forward Ryan Reid with the 56th overall pick in the NBA Draft and then they traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder for 24-year old center Magnum Rolle who was picked 51st overall. Rolle played in 34 games at Louisiana Tech last season and he averaged 13.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 2.1 blocked shots per game. Rolle played in 93 games in college and he averaged 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game. I really like this trade for the Pacers as Rolle has a decent upside.

UPDATE: (10/26/2010) - The Pacers have released Magnum Rolle. They wanted to keep him but they didn’t have enough rosters spots to keep everyone.

The Indiana Pacers have selected 19-year old shooting guard Lance Stephenson with the 40th overall pick of the NBA Draft. Stephenson played in 34 games (32 starts) for Cincinnati last season and he averaged 12.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. The Pacers are gambling on Stephenson’s outstanding athletic ability as he really excels in the open court. He has the potential to be one of the best players picked in the second round based on talent alone.

The Pacers have picked 20-year old small forward Paul George with the 10th overall pick of the NBA Draft. George played in 29 games (28 starts) for Fresno State last season and he averaged 16.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 steals per game. He finished up at Fresno having played in 63 games (53 starts) in which he averaged 15.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Picking George likely bumps Danny Granger to shooting guard full time. I like this pick as George should give the Pacers a nice offensive boost starting this season.

The Pacers are likely going to be one of the most active teams in tomorrow night’s NBA Draft. The Pacers hold the #10, #40 and #57 picks in the NBA Draft and they are looking to make a deal. The Pacers are looking for a legit point guard and they are likely to offer the #10 overall pick and maybe more to get one. Darren Collison and Jonny Flynn are rumored names of guys they are after. Troy Murphy, Brandon Rush and Mike Dunleavy will also be likely available for trade tomorrow. Besides a point guard the Pacers should be after offensive players who can give Danny Granger some support.

The Pacers need to just start 23-year old center Roy Hibbert and start playing him 30+ minutes a night. He is a huge man at 7′2″, 278 pounds and he can throw his weight around inside. Hibbert played in 81 games (69 starts) for the Pacers last season and he averaged 25.1 minutes, 11.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.6 blocked shots per night. He has now played in 151 games (110 starts) in his two years with the Pacers and he has averaged 20.2 minutes, 9.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. The Pacers need to quit jerking Hibbert around and let him play.

The Indiana Pacers have acquired the 57th overall pick (2nd round) of the NBA Draft later this month from the Mavs to complete the Eddie Jones and Shawne Williams trade. Players can be found in the 2nd round so the Pacers need to do their homework on this one. The Pacers need all of the help that they can get.