New York Knicks Receive: C Myles Turner, F JaKarr Sampson
Indiana Pacers Receive: C Mitchell Robinson, F Kevin Knox II, NYK 2021 1st Round Pick, DAL 2021 1st Round Pick (via NYK)
Myles Turner not only led the league in blocks during the 2018-19 season, but he is currently leading the league in blocks this season. He is on pace to potentially have 250 blocks this season, which would be a great achievement for him since there are only 72 games built into the NBA schedule for each team this year.
While the Pacers have made their intentions to keep Turner clear, teams are still inquiring about the 24-year old center’s availability. It seems illogical for the Pacers to trade Turner now, especially since they are in the playoff hunt, but they could get a ton of future value by trading him at the trade deadline.
The New York Knicks have three first-round picks in 2021 and 11 total draft picks through 2023 that they could potentially package together with some of their young talents to pursue Turner, much like in this trade scenario above.
Mitchell Robinson and Kevin Knox are not two very attractive names when it comes to high-ceiling players, but they are 22 and 21-years-old respectively and could definitely bring something to the table for Indiana in their playoff push this year.
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Before suffering a broken hand, Robinson was averaging 8.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and was shooting 66% from the floor. While he is still out with this hand injury it is expected that Mitchell Robinson will be ready to go by the end of March or early April.
Kevin Knox is in his third season with the Knicks and while he still possesses a ton of potential to become a really solid two-way wing, he just has not received the opportunities to prove himself with the Knicks. He put together a really solid rookie season, but since then, his minutes have decreased and as a result, his production has decreased.
Both Robinson and Knox are two youthful players that definitely present an upside for the Pacers, as do the two first-round picks in 2021 that they would be receiving for Myles Turner. For the most immediate and future value, the Knicks are definitely the team to turn to if the Pacers decide to trade Turner.
With that said, let’s take a look at why this trade could make sense for both the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers.
