The Indiana Pacers might be closer to a real shakeup than people want to admit.
According to ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel, the Pacers “made it abundantly clear” Bennedict Mathurin is available in trade talks right now, with the team looking to flip him for a sizable frontcourt upgrade before the deadline instead of committing to a massive next contract.
And this is why it hits: Mathurin has actually been good. He’s putting up 19.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists a night while shooting 44.6% from the field and 41.1% from three, basically having the kind of season that usually earns you a long-term deal, no questions asked. But the Pacers are sitting at 6-21, Tyrese Haliburton is out long-term, and the front office is staring at a roster that needs a real big man answer, not another “we’ll figure it out” patch.
Mathurin is also in the final year of his rookie contract, making $9.1 million, which makes him the perfect “value chip” for teams that want scoring upside without eating a monster salary right away. So yeah, if the Pacers truly opened the door, the league is going to walk right through it.
1. A New Rim Protector Era In Indiana
Indiana Pacers Receive: Walker Kessler, Cody Williams
Utah Jazz Receive: Bennedict Mathurin
The Pacers have been hunting for a real center solution after Myles Turner’s exit, and the Walker Kessler smoke has only gotten louder. Marc Stein recently tied the Pacers to Kessler, and the reporting around the league has been consistent: the Utah Jazz have listened, but they have not moved off him.
That’s why this scenario is spicy. It’s not a “Pacers call and the Jazz hang up” offer. It’s the kind of swing where the Jazz actually have to think, because Bennedict Mathurin is the rare young scorer who can juice an offense immediately and still fits a rebuild timeline.
From the Pacers’ side, this is about solving a roster problem with a player who actually changes how you play. Kessler is on $4.8M in 2025-26, and he’ll hit restricted free agency after the season, so the Pacers get a cheap year to evaluate him and then the right to match offers. The bigger catch is health. The Jazz announced in November that Kessler would miss the rest of the 2025-26 season after season-ending shoulder surgery, and Kessler has talked about taking the recovery “day by day” after dealing with a torn labrum.
Still, the upside is obvious. Before the season ended, he put up 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks while shooting 70.3% from the field. That’s not empty production, that’s “plug him in and your defense finally has rules” production. If the Pacers are actually willing to make Mathurin available, a bet on Kessler makes sense because it lines up with what they reportedly want: a legitimate frontcourt upgrade, not another guard wing project.
Cody Williams is another piece that needs to be included. His current production stands at 2.9 points per game on 36.7% shooting; he remains a recent lottery talent with long-term wing potential, but the Jazz would be smart to give him away for a true scorer.
For the Jazz, Mathurin fits the direction. He’ll also be a restricted free agent in 2026, so the Jazz get a controllable scorer without immediately paying max money. And if you believe the Pacers are shopping him because they don’t want to be the team handing out that next big deal, the Jazz can step in and say fine, we’ll take the scoring and deal with the contract later.
This is the kind of trade that looks risky now and genius later if Kessler comes back healthy. If he does, the Pacers finally get the defensive backbone they’ve been begging for. If he doesn’t, they basically traded a rising 20-point scorer for a rehab timeline and a prospect. That’s the knife-edge, and that’s exactly why it’s realistic.
2. The Warriors Bet On Mathurin’s Scoring Pop
Pacers Receive: Jonathan Kuminga
Warriors Receive: Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, 2027 first-round pick
This is the clean “two timelines crash into each other” trade, and it’s way more realistic than it sounds if you buy the reporting.
The Pacers have reportedly “made it abundantly clear” that Mathurin is available in talks as they look for a meaningful roster upgrade. At the same time, there’s already been smoke connecting the Pacers to Jonathan Kuminga as a target, which is exactly why this framework clicks.
For the Pacers, Kuminga is the type of swing you make when you want to stop living in “nice young pieces” territory and actually add a guy who can look like a real second or third option on the right night.
He’s averaging 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists this season, and his role has clearly been in flux, which matters because it means the Warriors might actually listen. He’s also on a brand-new two-year deal that pays him $22.5 million in 2025-26, and multiple reports have noted he becomes trade eligible on January 15.
From a basketball standpoint, the fit is simple. The Pacers need more two-way juice on the wing, more downhill pressure, and someone who can create a rim attempt without everything being perfectly spaced. Kuminga does that. He also gives them a different gear athletically, which is something they’ve lacked when games turn into track meets.
For the Warriors, the appeal is structure, cost control, and optionality.
Mathurin makes $9.1 million, which keeps him in that sweet spot where a team can still dream on upside without immediately eating a monster cap number. If you believe in the reporting, the Pacers may be hesitant about where his next contract is headed, so the Warriors would be buying before the price hits the “nine-figure extension” level everyone panics about.
Toppin is the other part that makes this feel practical. He’s at $14 million in 2025-26, so the money lines up, and he gives the Warriors an instant rotation forward who can run the floor, finish plays, and survive minutes when they need athleticism on the court. Add the 2027 first-round pick, and suddenly it’s not just a talent swap, it’s the Warriors getting a real asset back while turning Kuminga’s situation into two usable players plus future value.
If the Pacers are serious about shopping Mathurin, this is the kind of deal that actually matches the moment. It’s aggressive, it’s expensive, and it’s the kind of move that can change the entire direction of a season fast.
3. The Pacers Finally Get Their Lob Threat
Pacers Receive: Daniel Gafford
Mavericks Receive: Bennedict Mathurin, 2027 first-round pick
This one is basically the cleanest “needs meet value” scenario on the board, and there’s already real smoke behind it.
Marc Stein has reported the Pacers have tried to engage on Daniel Gafford in recent weeks while surveying the center market, and that same reporting has tied them to multiple big-man targets as they look for a real frontcourt upgrade.
In other words, this isn’t a random fever dream. The Pacers have been sniffing around, and Gafford is the exact archetype they’ve lacked: a vertical, rim-running big who actually changes the geometry of the floor.
From the Pacers’ side, the basketball fit is almost too easy. Gafford screens hard, lives at the rim, and finishes plays like a guy who expects the pass to arrive every time. That matters because the Pacers’ whole identity, at its best, is pace and pressure. A center who can sprint into early seals, dive into space, and erase mistakes at the rim is basically a cheat code for that style.
The money is also pretty reasonable for what you’re getting. Gafford is on about $14.3 million for 2025-26, and he’s already agreed to an extension that keeps him under team control for multiple seasons after that. So the Pacers aren’t renting him for two months, they’re buying cost certainty at a position where the market gets ugly fast.
For the Mavericks, this is about flipping a good player into a younger scoring piece plus a real asset.
Mathurin at $9.1 million is the exact kind of contract teams love to acquire because it’s starter-level production on a number that doesn’t kill your flexibility. And if you’re the Mavericks, you can sell yourself on a simple concept: Mathurin gives you perimeter scoring pop, more youth, and another wing who can carry stretches when your offense needs a punch.
The 2027 first-round pick is the part that makes the Mavs actually consider moving a center they just invested in. Gafford matters to winning, and teams don’t give away good centers for fun. But a first is a first, and it gives the Mavericks an asset they can either keep, package later, or use to pivot if the roster needs another change.
This is also the kind of trade that can make both front offices feel like they “won” without pretending it’s perfect. The Pacers take the immediate roster fix at center. The Mavericks take the upside swing on a young scorer and bank a pick for the future. And with Stein’s reporting already pointing to the Pacers’ interest in Gafford, the logic chain is there.
