New Orleans Pelicans Receive: C Myles Turner, G/F Jeremy Lamb
Indiana Pacers Receive: C Jaxson Hayes, G Eric Bledsoe, NOP 2021 1st Round Pick (Pick #10), LAL 2022 1st Round Pick (Unprotected)
At just 25-years-old, Myles Turner has cemented himself as one of the best defensive players in the entire league and one of the best shot-blocking centers in the NBA. His 3.4 blocks per game led the league this year and he finished just 31 blocks behind Rudy Gobert for the league-lead in total blocks for the season. The only difference between Gobert and Turner though is that the Jazz center played in 71 total games, whereas Turner only played in 47 games this season.
The Pelicans were not that impressive defensively this past season, ranking 22nd in the league in net defensive rating, which is why they could really use a guy like Myles Turner. Steven Adams was a Top-25 rebounder in the league this year, but he is just not the factor he used to be on both ends of the court.
Jazson Hayes had a solid year with the Pelicans this year, averaging 7.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and has shown the ability to be an athletic shot-blocker, but Myles Turner is already a finished product whereas Hayes still needs to develop.
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In this trade with the Pacers, New Orleans would not only get their wish of being able to trade Eric Bledsoe, but they would get that third, key talent that they need with Myles Turner. We know what he can do defensively, but on offense, Turner could really evolve into a real two-way threat given his ability to shoot from the perimeter.
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New Orleans could really use more perimeter shooting as well, since they only shot 34.8% from deep as a team this year, which ranked them 26th in the league in this category. If the Pacers are looking to move Myles Turner in the offseason, this is definitely an intriguing trade that should peak their interest, but is this deal something that could benefit both teams?
