Indiana Moved On From a Former All-Star Center
The Pacers sent Roy Hibbert to the Los Angeles Lakers on July 9, 2015, receiving a future second-round selection. Indiana's official statement acknowledged Hibbert's seven years with the club, including two All-Star appearances, but the franchise was changing how it built its frontcourt. The Lakers were looking for experienced center depth while Kobe Bryant's era was drawing to a close. Hibbert was no longer producing his best Indiana numbers, yet he could still start and defend the rim. Indiana preferred roster and payroll flexibility plus a delayed pick over committing to another year of the veteran center.
Hibbert Started Eighty-One Games During His Lakers Season
Hibbert started all 81 regular-season games in which he appeared for Los Angeles in 2015-16. His averages declined to 5.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 23.2 minutes, with 481 points, 398 rebounds and 110 blocks in total. That is genuine NBA playing value from the Lakers' side, even though the team struggled badly and did not reach the postseason. Hibbert left after one season. His two Indiana All-Star selections and earlier playoff performances belong to his career before the trade and cannot be credited to the Lakers as if they acquired his prime years.
The Pacers Spent the Incoming Pick on Rakeem Christmas Rights
Indiana did not wait until 2019 to use the incoming selection. On July 23, 2015, the Pacers sent that second-round pick to Cleveland for the draft rights to Rakeem Christmas, an athletic Syracuse forward. Christmas appeared in one Indiana game in 2015-16 and 29 more in 2016-17, totaling 30 appearances, 225 minutes and 63 points before being waived. The original 2019 pick kept moving after it left the Pacers, passing through Cleveland and Atlanta before Golden State acquired it. It eventually became No. 41 Eric Paschall, but the Warriors drafted Paschall and received his playing career. Indiana cannot claim Paschall's Golden State stats as its trade return.
The Lakers Got Starts; Indiana Got Flexibility and a Small Asset
Los Angeles received more immediate on-court minutes, because Hibbert was its starting center for nearly an entire season. Indiana received contract and roster flexibility along with a draft asset that it quickly converted into an actual, if little-used, reserve. Neither organization obtained a long-term cornerstone. The Lakers' 81 starts should not be waved away because their season was unsuccessful, and the Pacers' side should not be inflated by the eventual NBA achievements of a player selected with a pick they no longer owned. An even judgment with restrained grades reflects the different ways each team used the exchange.
Final Verdict
Even Trade. The Lakers earn B- for Roy Hibbert's 81 starts, 481 points, 398 rebounds and 110 blocks in 2015-16. Indiana also receives B- for salary and roster flexibility plus the 2019 second-round pick it converted into Rakeem Christmas's 30 games. Eric Paschall was drafted by Golden State after later pick trades, so his career is not Pacers return.