Insider: 2 Key Players Featured in Pacers & Kings Trade Discussions

The Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings have been engaging in trade talks. The Pacers' affection is centered around a player who has received interest from many teams around the NBA: Keon Ellis.

The undrafted defensive stalwart on the perimeter has seen some wildly fluctuating usage for the Kings this season, going from 24 minutes one game to eight minutes the next. From 14 minutes one night to 30 the day after. Overall, he's down over seven minutes a game on average from his breakthrough season as a key rotation player last year, to just 17. 6 per night. But rival front offices still like what they've seen from Ellis, and have made him one of the top realistic trade candidates this winter.

In a proposed deal with the Pacers, the name Jarace Walker has been bandied about. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype explains:

The Indiana Pacers were among the teams to express interest in Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis. Additionally, HoopsHype has learned that Pacers forward Jarace Walker was mentioned during conversations surrounding Ellis. However, it’s unclear which team brought up Walker in the exploratory discussions.

Walker is a recent No. 8 overall pick by the Pacers, and is playing a significant role for them this season, averaging over 25 minutes a night. Like Ellis, he plays elite defense, but his size (6'7", 235 pounds) and versatility allow him to guard multiple positions (one through five). He has a developing offensive game, but his three-point shooting has fallen off this season to just 32%.

The guess here is that the Kings are the ones who brought his name up, as the Pacers are unlikely to want to deal him. Walker has $8.48 million on the books for the 2026-27 season, while Ellis will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.