Portland Trail Blazers Receive: C Myles Turner, MIA 2022 2nd Round Pick (via IND)
Indiana Pacers Receive: C Jusuf Nurkic, F Nassir Little
With Jusuf Nurkic in the final year of his contract and the Portland Trail Blazers looking to add more overall talent to their roster, it is not crazy to believe that the Bosnian center could be on the move in the near future. He is beloved by the fan base and good friends with Lillard, but his upside is limited compared to that of Myles Turner.
Nurkic is only two years older than Turner, but Portland runs the risk of losing him next offseason since he will be an unrestricted free agent. Myles Turner would also be a massive defensive upgrade for this Blazers team in the frontcourt.
Robert Covington is a great defender at the power forward position, but this team is in need of an avid shot-blocker and anchor on defense.
Now in his 7th season in the league, Turner is not only one of the league’s best shot-blockers, but he has led the league in blocked shots two of the last three seasons.
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Only making $17.5M both this season and next year, Myles Turner is an affordable option for a luxury tax paying team like the Portland Trail Blazers and he can instantly help make them better defensively, which is where they have struggled greatly through the years.
As for Indiana, replacing Turner with Jusuf Nurkic may not be a bad idea, especially since Nurkic could compliment Sabonis quite well as a low-post, “bruiser-like” big man who can aid the Pacers’ All-Star in offensive and defensive rebounding.
Nassir Little has also started to come into his own this season and prove that he is a valuable young talent on the wing. Drafted 25th overall in 2019, Little is finally getting his chance to prove himself on the wing in Portland and is making the most of his minutes right now, as he is currently 6th on the Blazers in scoring.
Neither Nurkic nor Little are pieces that will help the Pacers be a real playoff threat in the Eastern Conference, but both of them together provide the Pacers with two key talents they can utilize for the rest of this season, giving them a little more depth that they need.
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Who knows if Indiana is even willing to give up Myles Turner right now, but if they are willing to talk about him in trade packages, the Portland Trail Blazers should definitely be a team interested in Turner.
