NBA Trade Window: 3 players the Indiana Pacers should trade away

The Indiana Pacers are once again enjoying an impressive start to the 18/19 NBA season.

Coming off of their surprise 17/18 season, the Pacers currently sit third in the Eastern Conference standings with an impressive 28-14 record. The Pacers have excelled once again despite having to deal with a number of injuries, and Indiana is currently ahead of both the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers in the standings.

The Pacers' sustained form has been a great story within the NBA, as many had expected the team to fall out of contention after Paul George left the team 18 months ago. Despite this, Victor Oladipo has demonstrated that last season was no fluke, and the Pacers believe that they have a genuine shot in the 2019 postseason.

Nevertheless, the NBA trade window will remain open for another month, and the Pacers could still improve their Championship prospects by adding a few new faces.

Due to this, departures will be necessary, and here we will look at the three players that the Pacers should be open to trading away this month.

#3 T.J. Leaf

T.J. Leaf was an exciting prospect within the 2017 NBA draft class, and the Pacers decided to use their first-round pick on Leaf, selecting him with the 18th overall pick.

The power forward also showed signs of promise during his rookie season, playing in 53 games while averaging 8.7 minutes per game.

Despite this, Leaf featured just once in the 2018 playoffs, and despite the Pacers having a depleted roster for much of the season, Leaf has appeared just 22 times. The 21-year-old's progress seems to have been halted by Indiana's depth at power forward, and the Pacers may need to let him move on in order to further his career.

#2 Darren Collison

During the 2009 NBA draft, Darren Collison was drafted by the Hornets with the 21st overall pick. Collison went on to earn a place in the 2010 All-Rookie First Team, although his debut season arguably remains the best of his career.

The point guard has been somewhat of a journeyman in the NBA, and before joining the Pacers in 2017, Collison had already played for the New Orleans Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angles Clippers, and Sacramento Kings.

Collison has remained a starter during his second stint with the Pacers, however, the 31-year-old is this season averaging less than 10 points per game for the first time in his career, and Collison will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer.

With the Pacers also reportedly looking at signing a new point guard in order to boost their postseason prospects, it is time that Collison exits Indiana for a second time.

#1 Doug McDermott

During the 2014 NBA draft, Doug McDermott was selected with the 11th overall pick by the Denver Nuggets, although McDermott was quickly moved to the Chicago Bulls, where he spent three years playing as a sharpshooter from the Bulls bench.

After leaving the Bulls in 2017, McDermott went on to play for the OKC Thunder, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks within a year, as McDermott's three-point shooting ability is seen as a major asset by NBA teams.

The 26-year-old's accuracy from behind the arc was enough to convince the Pacers to hand him a three-year $22 million deal in the summer, however, McDermott has proved to be a bad fit in Indiana.

McDermott's current points per game total (6.9) is a near career low. and he is currently averaging just 17.6 minutes-per-game. Ultimately, a number of teams will be interested in adding the 27-year-old's three-point range, and the Pacers need to either increase McDermotts minutes or trade him away.