East Notes: Pacers, Pistons, Alec Burks, Heat

Pacers

• Opposing executives believe the Pacers may be searching for upgrades ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline, with an eye toward players who could serve as a long-term fit, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
• Specifically, the Pacers appear to be targeting a power forward, which they have been doing for several seasons, Fischer reported. A knee injury suffered by point guard Tyrese Haliburton could impact what they do at the deadline, he added.
• Like several others, the Pacers have discussed a trade for seemingly available Hawks forward John Collins, per Fischer. That appears to be a long shot, though, sources told Hoops Wire. (We have the latest on Collins right here.)
• There is still no timeline on when injured rookie guard/forward Kendall Brown (leg) will return, coach Rick Carlisle indicated. Brown last played in early December.

Pistons

• It doesn’t seem likely that the Pistons will trade guard/forward Alec Burks or forward Saddiq Bey ahead of the trade deadline, per James Edwards III of The Athletic.
• The Pistons are seeking a young player and first-round pick for small forward Bojan Bogdanovic, per Edwards. That said, Edwards wrote that he doesn’t expect Detroit to have a fire sale.

Heat

• Center Dewayne Dedmon has been suspended for one game for throwing a massage gun onto the court following an argument with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, as relayed by Kurt Helin of NBC Sports.
• The Heat won a bid to scrap a $135 million arena deal with bankrupt FTX, per Ariel Zilber of the New York Post. The facility will now simply be called The Arena until a new sponsor is found.
• Small forward Jimmy Butler and guard Victor Oladipo are loading up on steals to lead the Heat defense, as broken down by Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.