USA TODAY
Sam Amick, USA TODAY
Pacers add depth as they try to build on last year's Eastern Conference finals finishh
https://www.gannett-cdn.com/sites/usatoday/images/favicon.png
USATODAY
The Indiana Pacers have agreed to send Miles Plumlee, Gerald Green and a 2014 first-round draft pick to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for forward Luis Scola.

The addition of Scola should make Indiana even more of a threat to the Miami Heat's throne, as he will add frontcourt scoring to a group that consistently struggled on the offensive end.

After pushing the Heat to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers re-signed forward David West to a three-year, $36 million deal and now will pair him with Scola.

"Luis will be a very important asset to our team and to our bench," Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird said in a team release after the trade was announced. "He has NBA experience, international experience and is the type of player that will fit in nicely on our roster. I want to thank Gerald and Miles for their contributions. They had tough years last season, but worked hard, never complained and contributed to the great chemistry our team had. I think Gerald and Miles will be solid additions in Phoenix and we wish them well."

The 33-year-old from Argentina has averaged 14.2 points and 6.6 rebounds a game in his six seasons. He averaged 12.8 points a game last season for the Suns, and his shooting percentage (47.2%) was a career low.

"I'm very, very excited to play for the Pacers," Scola said in the release. "They are one of the top three teams in the NBA with a good shot to win a championship. I think it's a great team and this is a great opportunity. I can't wait."

The Suns, meanwhile, acquired their third first-round pick of the 2014 draft (the pick from the Pacers is lottery protected). Phoenix went 25-57 last season and hired general manager Ryan McDonough away from the Boston Celtics in May, and he has since embarked on an aggressive rebuild. McDonough opted not to re-sign coach Lindsey Hunter, then hired former Utah Jazz assistant Jeff Hornacek as his replacement.

Green, 27, averaged 7.0 points a game and shot 36.6% from the field last season in 60 games for the Pacers. Plumlee, who was drafted 26th overall out of Duke in 2012, played in 14 games.