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Pacers Connected to Potential NBA Draft Trade for 15.5 PPG Scorer
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- Pacers Connected to Potential NBA Draft Trade for 15.5 PPG Scorer
(Thomas Shea-Imagn Images)
Entering the 2026 NBA Draft that is scheduled to begin tonight, the Indiana Pacers do not own a single pick. They lost their first-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers and do not hold a second-round selection either.
Kevin Pritchard and the Pacers may end up sitting out of the draft this year. Or, there is always a chance that they could trade back in to get a young player.
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According to a fairly recent report from NBA insider Jake Fischer, Indiana has shown interest in trading into the early portion of the second round or the late portion of the first round. There is a chance the Pacers could find a trade partner to get a pick.
Who would Indiana be targeting in that range? One intriguing player has been brought up as a potential option.
Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star has provided one name to watch. He thinks that Houston wing Emanuel Sharp would be a player worth targeting for the Pacers.
"Houston's Emanuel Sharp worked out for the Pacers nearly a month ago even though they didn't have a pick in this draft," Dopirak wrote . "If the Pacers trade back into the 2nd round of this week's draft in the 30s, he could be the kind of player they target."
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Sharp would be an intriguing pickup for Indiana. He may not play a lot during his rookie season, but he has the potential to develop into a quality role player down the road.
Throughout the course of the 2025-26 college basketball season with the Cougars, Sharp played in 37 games and started all of those appearances. He averaged 15.5 points per game to go along with three rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 steals, while shooting 41.3 percent from the floor and 37.2 percent from three-point range.
Back in the 2024-25 season, Sharp connected on 40.7 percent of his three-point attempts. He's a more than capable three-point shooter.
While there are quite a few players who Indiana could have interest in early in the second round, Sharp is a name worth putting on the list. He's a solid shooter, a capable scorer, and he's a solid defender as well.
Only time will tell if the Pacers find a way to acquire a pick, but the next couple of days should be very interesting for Indiana fans.
