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Roy Hibbert won't be a free agent until 2016, and yet he may have already played his last game for the Indiana Pacers.

After opting into the final year of his contract, Hibbert is now being dangled in trade talks, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Once considered the invaluable fulcrum to Indiana's ironfisted defense, he is now a monetary millstone—financial fodder for the rumor mill to devour.

Seven years into his career, Hibbert has yet to average 30 minutes per game for an entire season. He hasn't shot 45 percent from the floor since 2011-12, and his defensive value, while still intact, is feeling the weight of an NBA that exposes bigs who cannot step out on the perimeter.

This decline in stock will become even more evident as the Pacers try to unload his $15.5 million salary. As Grantland's Zach Lowe wrote:

It will be surprising if the Pacers can snag a real asset for Hibbert. Few teams in the new NBA are starved for cap relief, and that has sucked away most of the trade value that expiring contracts once carried. Everyone will have room when the cap skyrockets next summer, and most contracts under the new collective bargaining agreement are so short, teams can see their expiration date from the moment they are signed.

Suggested trade packages will keep Hibbert's individual free fall in mind. The Pacers are not going to land a star in exchange for his services. They'll be hard-pressed to even grab an impact player.

Proposals will range from the acquisition of potential upgrades to a blatant salary dump. The Pacers' best interests will be taken under advisement, but the deals in question must be justifiable in some respect for all parties involved.

Hug your families, and tell them you won't be home for dinner. We now embark on the treacherous journey that is finding Hibbert a one-way ticket out of Indiana.