7 Biggest Trades in Indiana Pacers History, Ranked

The Indiana Pacers have made many moves to give them a better shot of winning games and improve their championship basketball odds at a sportsbook.

The Pacers have never made good on their short NBA championship odds, but they did get to the 2000 NBA Finals. 

With that said, what are the seven biggest trades in Pacers history? Let’s find out.

7 Biggest Indiana Pacers Trades in Team History

1. Dale Davis for Jermaine O’Neal and Joe Kleine

Jermaine O’Neal struggled with the Portland Trail Blazers, but he shined once he was traded to Indiana in 2000, finishing third in MVP voting in 2004 while showcasing strong interior offensive and defensive skills.

O’Neal helped the Pacers get to the Eastern Conference finals in 2004 and 2005.

2. Alex English and First-Round Pick for George McGinnis

Alex English played just 54 games with the Pacers before being traded to the Denver Nuggets in 1980, as he went on to have several seasons of averaging 25-plus points per game.

English scored the most points of any player during the 1980s, a decade that featured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Julius Erving.

3. First-Round Pick for Tom Owens

The Trail Blazers acquired the No. 2 overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft in this deal in 1981, and though Portland decided to draft Sam Bowie with this selection, they could’ve had Jordan.

In an alternate universe, maybe there’d be six championship banners hanging inside the Pacers arena, but it wasn’t meant to be.

4. Paul George for Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo

Paul George had a tremendous run in Indiana, helping them get to the Eastern Conference finals in 2013 and 2014.

George was sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017, as Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis developed into All-Stars with the Pacers.

Though George turned into an MVP candidate in OKC, the Pacers made out quite well in this trade.

5. Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday, and Second-Round Pick for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson

The Pacers landed themselves their point guard of the future in this trade with the Sacramento Kings in 2022.

Tyrese Haliburton has shown incredible promise as a lights-out 3-point shooter, playmaking, and threat to attack the rim, which are all desirable traits of your franchise floor general.

Haliburton helped the sixth-seeded Pacers get to the Eastern Conference finals in 2024 before being swept by the eventual champion Boston Celtics.

6. Kawhi Leonard, Dāvis Bertāns, and Erazem Lorbek for George Hill

The Pacers got themselves a young promising point guard in George Hill, but they gave up Kawhi Leonard to get him in a 2011 draft night trade with the San Antonio Spurs.

Indiana could’ve paired Leonard with George, as both elite two-way wings could’ve better challenged LeBron James-led teams deep in the playoffs.

7. Herb Williams for Detlef Schrempf and Second-Round Pick

The Pacers landed Detlef Schrempf in this deal with the Dallas Mavericks in 1989, and the pick they acquired turned into Antonio Davis.

Schrempf won Sixth Man of the Year in 1992 and put up several quality seasons before being traded to the Seattle SuperSonics in 1993, helping them get to the 1996 NBA Finals.