With the 2022 NBA Draft just over 48 hours away, teams are beginning to get serious about potential trades that could be made. Two teams to keep a close eye on will be the Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets, who both seem motivated to get a move or two done. One player that has been mentioned heavily between the two teams on both sides has been Indiana big man Myles Turner and Charlotte wing Gordon Hayward.
Turner has been linked to the Hornets in trade talks over the past few years. Hayward, on the other hand, wanted to sign with the Pacers in free agency a couple years back before ending up with the Hornets.
Could the two sides make something work this offseason in a trade? According to one source, the teams have discussed the framework of a deal that would center around Hayward and Turner.
“Indiana still has interest in adding Hayward if the Hornets would package one of their first-round picks into the deal. One framework has had Hayward and the No. 15 pick heading to the Pacers for Turner and other pieces. It’s something that I would not write off happening before or during the draft.”
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Not too long ago, Pacers’ president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said that Indiana would be interested in adding another first-round pick. He also mentioned the option of taking back a player on contract in order to make that happen. This would be exactly that kind of deal.
For the Hornets, there is no question that they need to find rim protection. With Turner, they would be getting one of the best rim defenders in the NBA.
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Granted, there are plenty of talks being had on both sides outside of this kind of deal. The Hornets have toyed with the idea of trading up in the NBA Draft and also have had talks with other teams about front-court help. On the other hand, the Pacers have been working the phones trying to deal Malcolm Brogdon.
With all of that being said, this Gordon Hayward for Myles Turner swap is something to watch. There have been discussions and it could make perfect sense for both parties involved.
