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Mario Chalmers isn’t the most popular name to Indiana Pacers fans, and there was a very steady flow of hate directed his way during the two Eastern Conference Finals series that the Pacers played against the Miami Heat. He was always looked at as one of the NBA‘s worst floppers, but he also backed that reputation up with clutch games that helped bury the Pacers and lead Miami to the NBA Finals.
He wasn’t a big name on those teams with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh being the big three, but Chalmers was a very key factor in their success. Now, it appears he has been placed on the trade block and the Heat are not going to be asking for too much in return for him.
ESPN reports #Heat are trying to unload Mario Chalmers & Chris Andersen to free up money for Wade.
— Jason Lieser (@PBPjasonlieser) June 22, 2015
Looking at the Pacers’ current situation, the question arises about whether or not Larry Bird could look at acquiring Chalmers. It certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea for them to look into the possibility and would be a major upgrade over bringing Donald Sloan back. Bird has already made it very clear that C.J. Watson will not be back in 2015-16 due to the injury issues that he has had over the past two seasons.
Throughout his career, Chalmers has been a 36.4 percent three-point shooter. Just two seasons ago during the 2012-13 season he shot an impressive 40.9 percent from behind the three-point arc. Those numbers prove exactly how good of a shooter Chalmers is capable of being, and he has also shown the ability to get to the rim and finish.
Indiana has seen Chalmers hit big shots late in games and also destroy their point guards when getting into the paint. He is a crafty player who is capable of finishing among the big guys and always seemed to maneuver his shots well around Roy Hibbert when the Pacers’ big man tried to recycle his shots.
Chalmers has the experience that Indiana is looking for, and his all-around offensive ability is obvious. Whether or not Bird likes him after the issues that the hometown fans had with him during the playoffs is another question. Assuming the Heat aren’t asking for more than a second-round pick, the Pacers should get involved in trade talks.
Chalmers is heading into his eighth NBA season and is still in the prime of his career. He isn’t worth more than a second-rounder with the Heat simply looking to move him to open up more cash as they look to bring Goran Dragic and Wade back in free agency this offseason.
All of that being said, there are going to be quite a few teams interested in Chalmers at the right price. He is a proven NBA point guard and is capable of making an impact each and every time he comes into the game. His defense could use some work, but he is quick and has the ability to play well on that end of the court as well.
Don’t be surprised if Bird at least places a call to the Heat to gauge their interest in a potential deal for Chalmers. Indiana needs to be aggressive in retooling their roster to have a chance at competing for a championship during the 2015-16 season. Chalmers wouldn’t be the piece that powers them to a title, but he would certainly be a consistently solid contributor.
Evan Massey is a featured writer for www.RantSports.com, and contributes across the NFL, MLB, NCAA and NBA portions of the site. Follow him on Twitter at @Massey_Evan and like him on Facebook.
