Indiana Bought a Veteran Bench Piece for a Finals Push
Indiana acquired Luis Scola in July 2013 with a very specific competitive window in mind. The Pacers had just reached the Eastern Conference finals and wanted a proven reserve big behind David West and Roy Hibbert. Scola fit that role immediately. He played all 82 games in 2013-14, gave Indiana reliable second-unit scoring and rebounding, and stayed for a second season. The problem in hindsight is not that Scola failed. It is that the price included two useful young players and a future first-round pick.
Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee Helped Phoenix Right Away
Phoenix did not have to wait for the draft asset to see a return. Gerald Green became one of the breakout scorers on the 48-win 2013-14 Suns, while Miles Plumlee moved from a limited Indiana role into a full-time starting opportunity. Neither player became a franchise cornerstone, but both provided immediate rotation value on a team that dramatically outperformed expectations. That matters when comparing the packages: Phoenix received present-tense production at the same time Indiana was using Scola for its own contender, so the Suns were not trading current value solely for future upside.
The First-Rounder Extended Phoenix's Asset Advantage
The protected first-round pick conveyed in 2014 at No. 27 and became Bogdan Bogdanovic. Phoenix did not get Bogdanovic's eventual NBA production directly because his draft rights were later moved, but the selection remained a meaningful asset in the Suns' portfolio. It was ultimately part of the 2016 draft transaction that brought Marquese Chriss to Phoenix. That downstream path should not be scored as if Bogdanovic starred for the Suns, yet it reinforces the central point: Phoenix received a first-round asset on top of Green and Plumlee for a veteran Indiana used for two seasons.
Indiana's Context Softens the Loss Without Erasing It
The Pacers were a legitimate title contender, so spending future value for a dependable veteran was rational. Scola appeared in 174 regular-season games for Indiana across two seasons and also played in two postseason runs. That makes a C+ more appropriate than treating the deal as a total failure. Phoenix still earned the higher grade because its package was broader and more durable. Green and Plumlee contributed immediately, and the first-rounder preserved value beyond the initial season. The canonical A for Phoenix and C+ for Indiana capture both the contender logic and the stronger completed return.
Final Verdict
Suns Win — Indiana C+, Phoenix A. Luis Scola gave the Pacers the veteran reserve they wanted for a team chasing the Finals, and his two seasons in Indiana were genuinely useful. Phoenix nevertheless received the deeper package: Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee became meaningful contributors right away, while the protected first-round pick conveyed at No. 27 and remained an asset beyond the trade. Indiana's decision made sense for its competitive window, but the Suns extracted more total value from both the immediate roster pieces and the future draft component.