What to do with Bennedict Mathurin
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — In a season filled with injuries and losses, the major story-line for the Indiana Pacers comes down to one name: Bennedict Mathurin. It’s a contract year. He’s now in trade rumors. And while everyone expects the Pacers to be a contender again next season, it’s fair to ask whether or not #00 will be part of that roster.
Some will say it’s a no-brainer in one direction and Mathurin should be signed long-term. Others will say it’s an obvious choice in the other direction. The reality is: This won’t be an easy decision for the front office.
Mathurin and his agent decided to play this season out instead of signing an extension, which was probably the smart choice. He’s getting a chance to start and is building his value. For the Pacers, that can be good news and bad news. The good news: he’s also building his trade value. The bad news: if they’d like to keep him, the price tag will continue to rise.
He’ll be a restricted free agent after the season, which means the Pacers could decide to match any offer-sheet he signs, and they would keep him for that contract. The question, of course, is if they will be willing to give him a huge deal that he will undoubtedly receive. Early contract projections have started in the 4 year, 100 million dollar range, and it probably goes up from there. All it takes is one team that is desperate for a guard to give an even bigger offer, forcing the Pacers to pony up even more if they want to keep him around.
Things also get a little more complicated next season with Haliburton (and others) presumably back in action. Would Mathurin be okay with a return to the second unit? Would the Pacers consider starting Mathurin with someone like Aaron Nesmith coming off the bench?
The major reality of this situation is: The Pacers need to trade or sign Bennedict Mathurin. They absolutely cannot lose him for nothing. They just lost Myles Turner for no return. For a few years, fans thought Indy would have to choose one of the two to keep long-term. Losing both for no return would be a major step back.
That leads us to the trade discussion. If they don’t want to give him a huge payday, he’s got to be traded before the deadline. Whether it’s true or not, Brett Siegel has been reporting that the Pacers have made Mathurin available in trade talks, while others have said they’d like to acquire their next center. Keep in mind, being willing to listen on a player doesn’t mean they’ve made up their mind on his future. There’s nothing wrong with listening to offers just in case something comes up that you love.
Would they trade Mathurin in a deal for Zubac? Would the Jazz be interested in a deal for Walker Kessler? Or, is there any chance the Pacers could put a package together including Mathurin to get Trey Murphy? The best-case scenario would probably involve the Pacers finding their next starting center while being able to keep Mathurin. That’s just going to be a difficult task to accomplish.
Trading Mathurin for a starting center would fill one hole, but it would then create another. If you lose that production in order to fill your center position, you better be sure it improves your team. Losing one of your top-two bucket-getters could hurt, especially when dealing with injuries in the backcourt. Maybe the Pacers can secure a high draft pick and that player can be Mathurin’s replacement. But that would be asking a lot out of a rookie, and we’ve already seen the ebbs and flows of the two recent lottery picks the Pacers have added in recent years. It’s never a guarantee.
Mathurin is averaging 20 points per game this season, and brings a different skill set to this roster. Last year, Mathurin led the Pacers in 4th quarter points per game and free-throw attempts per game. This year, he is currently second behind Siakam in each of those stats. We saw what he could do in big playoff match-ups, and he has been improving in many areas with each passing year, including shooting 39% from three so far this year. He simply knows how to put the ball in the hole, and it’s very possible this roster would really miss that production and skill set.
At this point, I wouldn’t be too surprised with either outcome (traded or contract matched next summer). The only surprising scenario would be losing him for nothing in the off-season. Maybe the Pacers will look to trade him, but only if they get exactly what they want in return. And if they don’t get it, maybe Mathurin ends up sticking around for a lot of money.
Only time will tell.
