NBA Rumors: Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin Monitored by Multiple Teams at Trade Deadline

Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin "is being monitored by nearly every team seen as a buyer at the deadline," according to the Los Angeles Times' Dan Woike.

Woike reported the Pacers are believed to have a high price tag for Mathurin as they sit fifth in the Eastern Conference at 26-20. Indiana could want "a player it values while trying to recoup the first-round pick it spent on Mathurin."

The 22-year-old is averaging 16.4 points and 5.9 rebounds, and he's shooting 47.1 percent overall and 36.4 percent on three-pointers.

A sixth man for most of his first two years on the Pacers, Mathurin has become a regular starter at the 3 for head coach Rick Carlisle.

A trade involving the 6'6" wing felt much more likely before the 2024-25 season tipped off. HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported in June that "rival executives have inquired about [Mathurin] and Jarace Walker," only to be rebuffed by Indiana.

The team's performance would seemingly lessen the odds of a swap. Dealing Mathurin only makes sense if the Pacers are getting an immediate upgrade, somebody who can help them bridge the gap on the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.

Granted, his restricted free agency in 2026 is likely to be more and more of a consideration for the front office.

Assuming he declines the qualifying offer, Indiana will have the right to match an offer sheet he signs with another team that offseason. Re-signing Mathurin may not be a straightforward decision, though, when the collective bargaining agreement is so financially constraining.

Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam combine to make nearly $98 million by themselves for the 2026-27 season, and that's the second year of Andrew Nembhard's $58.7 million extension.

For Indiana, there might be a better way to invest the money it will take to keep Mathurin around long term.

Because he's still more than a year away from free agency, it's difficult to see how that calculation is made before the Feb. 6 deadline, however.