Bennedict Mathurin has been frequently mentioned as a potential trade candidate ahead of the February deadline after he and the Indiana Pacers weren’t able to agree to a contract extension last summer.
With the deadline getting closer, Mathurin has found his form. After their 118-114 loss to the Houston Rockets on Monday, the Indiana Pacers swingman talked about his approach heading into the upcoming trade deadline.
“I could go two ways about it,” Mathurin told Dustin Dopirak of the IndyStar. “I can be stressed and worried about it and everything. But I just feel like stress only comes from when you’re not ready for situations. For me, it’s pretty much just keep my head down and keep working. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, I’m here to work.”
Mathurin is set to become a restricted free agent next offseason, and the Indiana Pacers have reportedly shopped him for frontcourt reinforcements, such as Kristaps Porzingis, Daniel Gafford, and Walker Kessler.
Indiana Pacers News: Rick Carlisle praises Bennedict Mathurin’s “terrific” performance vs. Houston Rockets
Bennedict Mathurin was one of the Indiana Pacers’ top performers in last night’s home defeat against the Houston Rockets. The former sixth overall pick produced 25 points, four rebounds, and five assists on 8-for-15 shooting from the field and 9-for-10 shooting from the free throw line across 34 minutes off the bench.
“I thought he played a terrific game,” Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Mathurin. “His reads of situations, he’s come so far. He made some very good passes. He had four assists the last game. He gets to the free throw line. He causes problems.”
“He’s really come a long way. We needed to get him back. We just need the manpower, and on a night like tonight, where you’ve got a tough, physical team, he can get you 20, 25 points and help you stay in the game.”
