New Orleans Pelicans
With both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram running things for the Pelicans, this team has a chance to be really special moving forward, but they are going to need to improve defensively. They currently rank 27th in the league in defensive rating, which is likely why they are going to wind up missing the playoffs for the third straight season.
This Pelicans team is not far off from being a major threat in the Western Conference, which is why they could potentially go after Myles Turner hard in the offseason. He is everything any team should want in a center and with his ability to be the best shot-blocker in the league, he could easily help turn things around defensively for the Pelicans.
In 46 games this season, Myles Turner is averaging 12.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.5 blocks (league-high) and is shooting 33.8% from three-point range. On the season, Turner has 159 blocks and is currently on pace to potentially have over 250 blocks this year.
If the Pelicans are to strike a deal with the Pacers for Myles Turner, they will need to free up some cap space, which is why they could potentially either look to move Steven Adams to the Pacers in return or bring in a third team to this deal to free up some cap space, especially with Lonzo Ball being a free agent and New Orleans wanting to bring him back. Keep in mind, New Orleans has been linked to Turner in NBA trade rumors before.
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Offensively, the Pelicans are a really solid basketball team with Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball leading the charge, but defensively, this team has really struggled this season. They are giving up just about 115 points per game to their opponents, ranking them as the 5th worst team in the league in this category.
The Pelicans adding Myles Turner not only gives them an anchor to depend on defensively, but Turner is more than capable of being a threat offensively as well. He has the ability to step out on the perimeter and knock down shots, which is why he is exceptionally good in pick-and-roll sets.
Steven Adams is a really solid player and pulls his weight on both ends of the court for the Pelicans, but he is not a high-level, impactful player like Myles Turner and is not much of a rim-protector like Turner is. As a result, finding a way to acquire Turner would immediately push the Pelicans into the playoff picture in the Western Conference.
