The Indiana Pacers are reportedly looking to trade their starting center Roy Hibbert in the aftermath of their 11th overall selection of Big 12 Freshman of the Year center Myles Turner in the recently concluded NBA Draft.

The 6-foot-11, athletically gifted Turner is said to have caught the fondness of Pacers president Larry Bird over the plodding Hibbert. Bird had implied that the team will adapt a new, quicker style of play based around the skill set of All-Star forward Paul George, which is something ala-Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

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With such turn of events, Bleacher Report indicated that Hibbert was left expendable in Indiana, triggering numerous trade rumors involving the 7-foot-2 NBA All-Defensive Second Teamer even if he had opted in his final season with the Pacers, as per ESPN.

Reports emerged that Indiana was dangling Hibbert during draft night, but there were no willing takers. At 28 years old and with the rising demand of more athletic and versatile center, it seems like traditional, slow post up slot men have become unwanted in the league these days.

While Hibbert's defensive presence and shot blocking abilities could still prove valuable to any team, his career average of 6.8 rebounds per game in seven seasons at Indiana is nowhere near what teams and coaches would require.

If the Pacers could not deal Hibbert away in time for the next season, then what is certain is that he will get a "diminished role" in the team as coach Frank Vogel had recently revealed.

"We'll have to see how it all plays out and what the roster ultimately looks like, but there's a possibility that Roy's role will be diminished, if we're trying to play faster and trying to play smaller," Vogel told Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star.

Bird had been vocal about the planned change in pace as early as April, and he had specifically pointed out Hibbert as the player who will be affected the most.

"I was talking to coach earlier; we'd like to play a little faster tempo," Bird also told Buckner. "That means we've got to run a little faster, maybe at times play a little smaller. We just got into it, so I don't know what style, but we'd like to change it a little bit"

"But I would like to score more points, and to do that, you've got to run," he added.

TagsNBA 2015, NBA news, NBA News 2015, NBA rumors, NBA Rumors 2015, NBA Trade Rumors, NBA trade rumors 2015, Indiana Pacers, Roy Hibbert