NBA trade rumors: Indiana Pacers targeting Kevin Durant and Dwight Howard?

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The Indiana Pacers seem to be targeting some of the league's biggest names for their roster for the upcoming 2016-2017 NBA season.

According to rumors, the Pacers are reportedly eyeing Dwight Howard from the Houston Rockets once he enters the free market on July 1.

Reports claim that the recent Playoffs performance of the Pacers proved that they need to make a major change in their front court in spite of the strong output of Ian Mahinmi in the regular season. This could be improved if Howard will join their roster next season.

Howard ended up with an average of 13.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in the 2015-2016 NBA season, which has made him one of the top centers of the league at the moment. His numbers could be a welcome addition to the team if the Pacers could manage to lure him to their side next season.

Meanwhile, talks about Kevin Durant's possibility of joining the Pacers are starting to be heard on social media.

The 2014 MVP holds an average of 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists all throughout the previous season. This numbers enabled him to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

If the Pacers will manage to sign up Durant for their roster, playing alongside Paul George and Myles Turner could make them an unbeatable team in the Eastern conference in the league's upcoming season. However, getting a topnotch player must come with a hefty price, since Durant would be getting out of an $89 million deal with the OKC since 2011.

With over $40 million for a salary cap for the 2016 offseason, the Pacers' team president Larry Bird must be prepared to dig deeper in their pockets to be able to acquire Howard and Durant for the upcoming NBA season beginning Oct. 25, 2016.