The Indiana Pacers are prime candidates to be active players in trade dealings as 3pm Thursday nears. While rumors are fun to speculate about they've always seemed to be wasted time to me, so let's look at the assets the Pacers possess, who is likely to get moved and what needs to be addressed.

Let's start with the players that we shall not be seeing leave any time soon.

Danny Granger- Named to the East All-Stars this season. He signed a 5-year, $60 million extension and is the star of this team. It would take something major to move him away from Indy.

Brandon Rush- He's had some ups and downs in his first NBA season, but it is unlikely he'll be wearing anything other than a Pacers jersey for the next few years.

Jeff Foster- Although he's been included in recent trade rumors, one must remind themselves that they are only that...rumors. Foster was just recently signed to an extension and is a valuable part of this Pacers team. Although he's wanted by a lot of teams and would be a great role player on a major contender, it's highly unlikely this Indiana fan favorite will go anywhere.

Roy Hibbert- This rookie is the center of the future. He faces a lot of criticism that he doesn't fit into Indiana's current system really well, but if he takes time in the off season to run sprints and build up stamina, he'll be a great fit.

Likely to Not Return to Conseco in a Pacers Jersey Next Season

Rasho Nesterovic- His contract expires this season and the cost of bringing him will be too much for a team which apparently is already bleeding money. Look for Rasho to get traded, as his services are still wanted by other teams.

Marquis Daniels- Quis is currently playing one of the best seasons of his career, but with a team option at the end of season that would just cost the Pacers too much, he will not be returning next season. Daniels could very well end this season on another team.

Jamaal Tinsley- He will not be back next year. This will be accomplished through a trade or a buyout. Bird says he has received some offers for Jamaal, but I don't believe it. Either these offers have been absolutely horrible or Bird is trying to attract interest. More than likely, he'll be bought out in the off season, but there's always hope that someone will take a trade out of desperation around 3 on Thursday.

Possible Trade Pieces

T.J. Ford- Although Indiana just acquired him over the summer and he's been a great fit for the Pacers, if the right trade came along, Ford could easily find himself heading to a new city to bring in a star to complement Granger.

Jarrett Jack- Jack has an expiring contract and he seems like a player who could easily return. Yet he could fall into the same category as Ford, but could be more attractive to teams due to his expiring deal.

What The Pacers Need

The one glaring problem for this team is defense. Thirty-one of the Pacers 54 games have been decided by five points or less. They are 11-20 in those games. Being someone who has watched all of these games, most of these can be attributed to late defensive collapses. The Pacers really need a big defense post player who can make smart offensive plays without throwing the ball away.

Parting Thoughts

At this point, anyone on the Pacers (minus the four mentioned above) could find themselves somewhere else come Thursday. Although, it must be said that this is just one Pacers fan's opinion and anything could happen. The front office recently said they wouldn't trade Foster or Rush. Yet, if memory serves correctly, they also said that they wouldn't deal Jalen Rose the day before sending him to Chicago. Just remember that when you hear about trade deadline deals and rumors, there are no certainties until it's made official, so take everything with a grain of salt.