Indiana Pacers Receive: F OG Anunoby, TOR 2024 1st Round Pick (Top-14 Protected)
Toronto Raptors Receive: C Myles Turner, PHX 2022 2nd Round Pick (via IND), MIA 2025 2nd Round Pick (via IND)
Should the Raptors be looking to add talent or upgrade talent on their roster via offseason trades, they will have to sit down and figure out which player from their core that they will be willing to surrender.
It is possible that they could target some smaller contract players by leveraging Khem Birch and the $6.6 million he is owed next season, but Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, Gary Trent Jr. and OG Anunoby are set to make a combined $98.7 million next season.
Toronto is going to enter the offseason already over the salary cap and while they are still far off from the tax line, the Raptors will not be able to absorb Myles Turner and the $18 million he is owed without giving up a contract or contracts that equate to his value.
In theory, a trade package of Yuta Watanabe, Malachi Flynn, Precious Achiuwa and Khem Birch would balance out financially for both sides to be able to make a trade involving Myles Turner, but a four-for-one trade rarely ever works and the Pacers really would not benefit from a trade like this unless they fully commit to a rebuild.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: These 3 Teams Should Keep An Eye On Myles Turner Trade
The only way Toronto can make a real case for acquiring Myles Turner is if they are willing to offer up either OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr. or Scottie Barnes.
With Barnes proving to be an essential part of the Raptors’ long-term plans this season and Trent Jr. being a key two-way factor, Anunoby seems like the most likely player to be moved in a trade for Turner.
Pascal Siakam, Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucher have held things down in the Raptors’ frontcourt all season long, but adding one of the best defensive big men in the league in Myles Turner next to a two-way All-Star in Siakam suddenly makes the Raptors a much better championship contending team from a defensive standpoint.
Finding stability in their frontcourt, primarily at the center position, has been a goal of the Raptors since their 2019 championship run, which is why it would not come as a shock to see them pursue Myles Turner in an offseason trade with the Pacers.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: These 3 Teams Should Keep An Eye On Myles Turner Trade
Indiana is looking to “re-tool” and not “rebuild”, which is why OG Anunoby could be exactly what they have in mind in a trade.
Similar to how they did not rebuild when they sent Paul George to the OKC Thunder, acquiring Domantas Sabonis in the process, Anunoby could suddenly become one of the focal points for the Pacers next to Tyrese Haliburton long-term.
