T.J. McConnell has been the kind of guard Indiana leans on when everything gets messy. For nearly a decade, he’s brought the Pacers the stuff teams hate to play against: hard-nosed defense, sneaky scoring, and that relentless pit bull edge that keeps a game alive even when the matchup says it shouldn’t be close.
But McConnell is 34 now, and that reality changes the conversation. Indiana can’t count on him forever, and without a ready-made replacement waiting in the building, the Pacers are staring at a problem that goes beyond one roster spot. They need someone who can carry that same energy when McConnell’s time runs out.
That’s where the New York Knicks come in, at least in theory.
Miles McBride fits the mold. He’s another smaller guard with that same fight in him, and he’s also the kind of player whose next contract could push him beyond New York’s comfort zone. The Knicks already have their own money issues to sort through as they try to keep together the core of a team that just won an NBA title, and McBride’s situation could become part of that squeeze.
For now, McBride is expected to finish out his current deal in New York. But if the Knicks are unwilling to hand him a bigger one after he turned into a steal as a second-round pick, his future there starts to look less certain.
On paper, the fit for Indiana is obvious. In reality, the path is ugly.
Trades between rivals almost never happen, and a Pacers-Knicks deal would come with the usual problem: both sides would be loath to help the other. Indiana would probably have to pay more than it wants to just to get New York to pick up the phone. That’s the barrier that keeps these kinds of moves from ever getting off the ground.
Still, strange things do happen. If the Los Angeles Lakers could send Ivica Zubac to the crosstown rival LA Clippers in a deal centered around Mike Muscala of all people, then a Pacers-Knicks swap for McBride is at least imaginable.
Rivalry trades are rare for a reason, though, and the reasons are obvious. It would feel bizarre to see the Lakers and Boston Celtics do business.
Same with the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers after those four straight Finals meetings. Even the idea of the Spurs and the Thunder striking a deal at this year’s trade deadline raises the same question: why would either side want to make the other better?
That’s the heart of the issue. Teams don’t love handing value to a rival they might see again in the playoffs. Cross-conference trades happen, sure, but rivalry deals carry a different kind of weight, and that’s what makes them so hard to pull off.
So if Indiana wants to solve its roster problems, the safest route is probably not New York. The Pacers are more likely to find answers with teams outside their division, with opponents they won’t have to worry about seeing again when the games matter most.
In Other News...
Tyrese Haliburton Puts The Pacers In A Risky Long Term Spot
Tyrese Haliburton is set to return to the Pacers after missing the 2025-26 season because of injury, and his comeback immediately puts Indiana in a tricky long-term spot. Even with his importance to the franchise clear, the front office has taken a wait-and-see approach, with GM Chad Buchanan and the team showing no current interest in opening extension talks for Haliburton or the rest of the core.
Haliburton is already extension-eligible despite still having three years left on his deal, which makes the timing of any decision more delicate. Indiana has to weigh the appeal of locking in its centerpiece against the financial risk of acting too early on a player coming off a major injury, especially with recent precedent around similar cases hanging over the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Tyrese Haliburton Just Changed Everything For The Pacers This Season
Tyrese Haliburton says he is fully healthy and ready for the upcoming NBA season, a significant development for a Pacers team that spent last year without its lead guard because of an Achilles tendon injury. Since signing a five-year contract extension in July 2023, Haliburton has remained central to Indianas long-term plans, and his return changes the look and feel of a roster that has been reshaped around him.
The Pacers have made several roster moves and already have a projected starting lineup for the upcoming season, but Haliburtons availability is the real pivot point for everything. He is also expected to be a starter for the team in the 2026-27 season, which underscores how much Indiana is still building with him at the center, even as the details of how quickly this group clicks remain to be seen. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Enter Camp With One Big Question Around Tyrese Haliburton
The Pacers are heading into camp with a clear sense of urgency after a 19-win season, and the conversation around the roster has already shifted from lofty goals to much more basic ones. Tyrese Haliburton, Rick Carlisle and Pascal Siakam have all framed the year around a simple idea: become a good team first, then worry about what comes after. Kelly Oubre Jr. has echoed that tone as Indiana works to reset its standard and build something more stable.
The bigger challenge is figuring out how the pieces fit now that the group is adjusting to changes in roles and playing style following Haliburtons absence. The Pacers are trying to get back to a system that once suited them, but the team knows it cannot just flip a switch and return to what it was before. For a club trying to climb out of a difficult season, the most important question may not be how high the ceiling is, but how quickly the foundation can be rebuilt. [Read more 🡒]