Another Anunoby-Pacers deal? Yeah I get it, you've heard it before, but I just wanted to write up a story on a fun scenario. The Pacers love affair with Anunoby has a been one of the NBA's worst kept secrets. Lets assume in this scenario the Raptors are looking to rebuild/retool and are willing to move off of Siakam and Anunoby. Lets also assume that two players are off the table for Indy: Maturin and Haliburton.
Can the Pacers get Anunoby without their next three best assets? Those being Turner, Nembhard, and 7? I think its possible (anything is possible with enough unprotected picks), but far less likely. Anunoby's contract situation is interesting. Technically 2-years left on his deal, but he's almost certain to deny the player option. Teams calling on Anunoby will consider his contract to have 1 year left on it when considering his value. In some cases, such as Jerami Grant, an expiring player is sold for pennies on the dollar contrary to public perception. This is not that situation. Anunoby's value will be, in my opinion, will see little to no reduction in value as his high-demand archetype will create one of the best situations for Anunoby's agent: competition. The 2nd team All-Defense and 2023 steals leader helps too. This is why I think it's more likely the Pacers would need to part with at least one of the first tier of "gettable guys", with 7 and Nembhard providing better value to Toronto than Turner. But I'm going to try to avoid it.
In this trade, let's be real, Duarte has little to no value at this point. As paradoxical as it seems, Duarte is a 26 year old mystery box. First season in Indy he showed promise as an immediate contributor with self creation ability, an aesthetically and technically pleasing jumper (37% from 3 on good volume and 16.8/4.3/2.7 splits per 36 as a rookie), and solid team defense. Was the "baby Klay" nickname a bit much? Sure, but still some promise. This past season Duarte dealt the two primary sophomore slump causes: injuries and inconsistent playing time. The latter of which Duarte got plenty of his rookie season. The injuries seemed persistent without long stretches of good health, playing only 46 games. Is this a complete "toss out" year when it comes to determining Duarte's value? No, going into his age 26 year prevents that. His value will take a hit after last year, but as a guy who has solid role player with self-creation ability (thinking Malik Monk potential impact), it offers a low-risk gamble on a guy who could seriously contribute in a couple years if a retool is preferred. Lets not forget the great contract.
As far as draft assets go, and assuming 7 is off the table, the next best asset is a future unprotected first. Will that be acceptable to Toronto? Probably not, but if they were to load up on 23 draft assets in return for a guy like Siakam or a FVV S&T, then it could be attractive. Obviously the 24 draft pick is more favorable for Indy to move considering the anticipated strength of the 24 draft class compared to 25 and 26, but maybe this is a point of negotiation for Toronto. They could look to squeeze a 25 unprotected first instead. The Pacers also throw in their other two frps which Toronto can use to take shots on some under the radar guys who can start developing now. Pacers could also look to add certain young players and other picks if the deal is close but Toronto wants a sweetener.
Will Toronto get better offers? Probably. Can Indy get away without including 7? Probably not, but not impossible. So let's say they do include 7....
Alternate Scenario
IND => TOR: Pick 7 TOR => IND: Anunoby IND => NYK: Duarte + Pick 29 NYK => IND: Toppin
Big fan of Toppin's "Jermaine O'Neal" potential as a guy who just needs a better opportunity to find out if there is untapped potential. You can argue other smaller assets in these deals, but this is the basic framework.