INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Pacers announced that they have officially traded a 2019 second-round pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for forward Rakeem Christmas.

Christmas was the 36th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. He was originally selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves, but was traded on draft night to the Cavaliers. Christmas stands at nearly 6'10" and weighs 243 pounds.

Christmas was a member of the Pacers' first pre-draft workout on May 18th, which took place shortly after the NBA Draft Combine. Indiana liked what they saw from the Syracuse big man.

“We really liked Rakeem when he came in for pre-draft workouts,” Pacers President Larry Bird said in a statement. “He is a solid player who was a contributor all four years at Syracuse and we look forward to having him on our team.”

Christmas spent four years at Syracuse University, after which he declared for the draft at the age of 23. Various NBA experts believe that Christmas can contribute in the NBA right away, especially in his projected situation with the Pacers.

“He’s mature, and he’s ready to step in and play right away,” ESPN's Jay Bilas said prior to the NBA Draft. “I think he’s going to be able to perform man‑to‑man defense. He played zone his whole college career, which is always a question with Syracuse guys.

“It’s just the way it is. They play zone in games and they play man a lot in practice. But Christmas had a great year. He improved his post moves. He’s a rim protector, a good rebounder, he’s long. He’s not the tallest guy as a five. But he runs the floor, and I think he performed at a really high level in the Combine and opened a lot of eyes even further that had been opened during the season.”

Christmas and Indiana reached an agreement on a contract, as the Cavs had not yet inked their draftee. According to Cleveland.com, the agreement is a four-year deal worth $4.5 million. Only the first two years of the contract are guaranteed.

Indiana traded the 2nd round pick that they had received in the Roy Hibbert trade from the Los Angeles Lakers. Indiana has basically turned Roy Hibbert into Rodney Stuckey, Jordan Hill, and Rakeem Christmas, all of whom they have acquired this offseason.

Here is a scouting video about Rakeem Christmas via Draft Express:

At the current moment, the Pacers' depth chart is projected to be:

PG: George Hill, Joseph Young
SG: Monta Ellis, Rodney Stuckey
SF: C.J. Miles, Chase Budinger, Solomon Hill
PF: Paul George, Lavoy Allen, Rakeem Christmas, Shayne Whittington
C: Jordan Hill, Myles Turner, Ian Mahinmi

On paper, the Pacers still have one open roster spot available. They have agreements with Lavoy Allen and Shayne Whittington on contracts, but neither have officially signed yet. The agreements can be terminated at any time, which appears more possible than ever. The players can view this as a bad situation since Paul George will possibly get heavy minutes at power forward, and Rakeem Christmas is now here.

The Pacers could view Lavoy Allen as an unnecessary component of the team since he doesn't necessarily fit the new style of play. It would also free up the team cap space to sign a more fitting player at a different position. Shayne Whittington would likely be untouched due to his skill set and his contract is a veteran's minimum deal. Allen's deal is a 3 year, $12 million deal.

Minutes may be hard for Rakeem Christmas to get early on, but he can certainly step in and contribute for the team if he is given some. There are a lot of possible variables regarding Christmas's situation with Paul George, Lavoy Allen, and Shayne Whittington, but Christmas will be ready regardless of what happens. Rakeem is a great fit for the style of play, which could help his chances tremendously.

In his senior year with Syracuse, Rakeem Christmas averaged:

GP MIN PTS FG FGA FG% 2PT 2PTA 2P% 3PT 3PTA 3P% FTM FTA FT% OFF DEF TOT AST STL BLK TO PF
31 34.5 17.5 6.5 11.8 55.3% 6,5 11.8 55.5% 0.0 0.0 0% 4.4 6.2 71.2% 3.1 5.9 9.0 1.5 0.9 2.5 2.5 3.4

At the NBA Combine, Rakeem Christmas had the following measurements:

Year Source Height w/o Shoes Height w/shoes Weight Wingspan Standing Reach Body Fat No Step Vert Max Vert
2015 NBA Draft Combine 6'8.25" 6'9.75" 243 7'5.25" 9'2.5" 9.6 29.0 N/A

Rakeem Christmas 2014-15 Highlights:

The Cleveland Cavaliers traded Christmas because they didn't feel like they could use him this season. The Cavs are in a position to compete for a championship, so they need veteran players and not rookies. Cleveland also wants to trade Brendan Haywood trade to gain a large trade exception. Haywood's deal is unguaranteed and is worth $10.52 million, it would create more flexibility for the Cavaliers.

Note: Check back with VAVEL-USA to see how the Pacers will likely incorporate Rakeem Christmas with the team.