INDIANAPOLIS -- Larry Bird used draft-night trades as a major vehicle to reshape the Indiana roster.
Kevin Pritchard was legendary for his prolific wheeling and dealing of draft picks while in the Portland front office.
Donnie Walsh, on the other hand, took a much more conservative approach in his previous tenure with the Pacers.
That Bird and Pritchard will be the primary operators for the Pacers in Thursday's NBA Draft could be an indication Indiana is once again poised to make a deal.
Coming off a strong regular season that produced the third-best record in the Eastern Conference and the franchise's first playoff series victory since 2005, the Pacers hold just one pick -- No. 26 overall -- but are dealing from a position of strength because they have few glaring needs and plenty of salary cap space.
"This is Larry's draft," Pritchard said. "He has prepared. I've helped him prepare but he's going to call the shots. My job with him is to be supportive and get him the information, so it's a little different. I'm not walking into a draft that I've prepared for all year as the decision-maker. Larry's making that decision and my job is to support.
"Could there be activity? Absolutely. Do I expect it? Not quite that much."
Though Bird stepped down as team president Wednesday, he will remain with the franchise for a few weeks to assist with the transition to the new leadership team. Though Walsh has been present for most of the team's pre-draft workouts in the past two weeks, he asked Bird to manage the draft. Pritchard has been actively involved in the preparation process, including scouting and workouts.
"I've put a lot of time in it, my staff's put a lot of time in it and I love the draft," Bird said. "There's a lot of activity, a lot of action, so I want to do the draft."
The Pacers conducted seven workouts involving 38 players. Indianapolis native Marquis Teague, the point guard who helped Kentucky to the national championship as a freshman, was in the final workout Wednesday.
Perhaps the strongest indicator of their intentions came from a private workout Tuesday in which forwards Draymond Green (Michigan State) and Jeff Taylor (Vanderbilt) and guards Will Barton (Memphis) and Kim English (Missouri) were brought back for second looks.
The Pacers don't need a potential starter from the draft. Assuming they are able to re-sign restricted free agents Roy Hibbert and George Hill, the lineup will return intact as shooting guard Paul George, small forward Danny Granger and power forward David West all are under contract.
The bench, however, appears headed for a shakeup. Leandro Barbosa, Lou Amundson, A.J. Price and Kyrylo Fesenko all are unrestricted free agents. Though Dahntay Jones exercised the option on the final year of his contract, he did not factor into the postseason rotation.
That leaves Darren Collison and Tyler Hansbrough, two players that started all five games of the Pacers' 2011 first-round playoff series against Chicago, as the most prominent reserves. Either or both could be trade bait. The Pacers reportedly have interest in moving into the lottery and are eyeing either the No. 10 pick held by the Hornets or the No. 11 pick held by Portland. A possible target could be Duke shooting guard Austin Rivers.
Should the Pacers make no move and hold onto their pick, their biggest needs are backup center and shooting guard. This draft is thin on big men and impressive workouts by Syracuse's Fab Melo appear to have lifted him out of Indiana's range. Though not a center, Green would bring a needed low-post threat off the bench.
It is rich at the wing spots. Prospects likely available to the Pacers include not only Barton, Taylor and English but Vanderbilt's John Jenkins, Kentucky's Darius Miller, Washington's Tony Wroten and France's Evan Fournier.
One wild card could be the slide of Ohio State power forward Jared Sullinger. Considered a lottery lock before doctors expressed concern about potential issues with his back after examinations at the NBA Draft Combine, Sullinger may slide out of the first round.
That would pose a dilemma for the Pacers, who have a need for another low-post threat. But Pritchard was burned in Portland by the selection of Greg Oden.
"One of the things we got caught up in there is you've got to be very careful, health-wise with players," Pritchard said. "Players do have health issues. I have been so surprisingly excited about our medical staff. I think the medical staff here is incredible. …
"When they say no, you've got to take a pass."
To hear Bird tell it, the voice that really matters most belongs to Susy Fischer, his executive assistant:
"I can't wait to go in and say, 'Susy, are you pumped up for the draft?' like I did two years ago when she said, 'Only if Paul George slides to 10 and you take him, I'll be pumped up.'
"Last year we had the 15th pick and I walked in and she said, 'Have you talked to San Antonio?' And I said, 'Why?' She said, 'It's time to bring George Hill home.' So I made the call and we made the trade.
"About two weeks later, I walk into my office and she goes, 'When's the last time you talked to David West's agent?' I said 'About two weeks ago.' She said 'I'll get him on the phone.' So I think Susy's got something planned and we'll have a good draft."
The good news for Pacers fans: though Bird is leaving, Fischer is staying on for a second term with Walsh.
