There were several big trades made around the NBA this off-season. All-Stars were on the move as teams such as the San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz embarked on rebuilds. For as many trades that were completed, there were nearly as many discussions that didn’t come to fruition.
The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the teams that were involved in those trade talks that didn’t get completed. They have made one trade this offseason, acquiring Patrick Beverley from the Jazz, but they were involved in bigger trade scenarios throughout the summer.
Los Angeles was rumored to have an interest in acquiring Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets, but the Nets have decided to move forward with the pieces they have. Another team that the Lakers held extensive talks with is the Indiana Pacers.
Indiana began their rebuilding process ahead of the trade deadline in February and has continued it this offseason. But, they stopped short of trading away all of their veterans, as Myles Turner and Buddy Hield both look like they will be on the roster come opening night.
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As detailed over at The Athletic, there were plenty of trade talks held between the Lakers and Pacers. Those talks go back to the Las Vegas Summer League, where Russell Westbrook was the centerpiece of a deal with draft compensations. Different versions of the deal were discussed as well.
Alas, no deal would be reached unless the Lakers were willing to part with first-round picks in 2027 and 2029. Indiana owner Herb Simon wanted Tyrese Haliburton to get a chance to play with the two veterans. As a result, a high asking price was set to deter the Lakers from making a deal.
“Pacers owner Herb Simon showed increasing interest as the summer went on in having new lead guard Tyrese Haliburton, Turner and Hield start the season together, so an asking price of two unprotected first-rounders was unintentionally a difficult barometer to meet. Would the Lakers meet it? Sources added that the Pacers, despite the Lakers’ wishes, made it clear they were not interested in sending second-round picks in a potential deal. With the price of landing Turner and Hield higher than the Lakers’ liking, they had hoped for second-round compensation as a way of increasing their return.”
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Indiana’s insistence on the draft capital was done in large part because they didn’t want to trade away Turner and Hield unless they were blown away by an offer and got exactly what they wanted. Different variations of deals were discussed, as involving a third team, the Memphis Grizzlies was also broached.
Ultimately, no final offer was made by the Lakers. They showed patience and discussed numerous details, but at the end of the day, it was decided that the price was just too high to meet.
“In the end, the Lakers chose not to make the formal offer after several long debates among the stakeholders, a collaboration that led to a prudent, patient approach to the Pacers conversations. A potential deal would’ve meant that the Lakers in effect would have traded Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the chance to re-sign Alex Caruso and three first-round picks for Turner and Hield, when taking into account the totality of the original Westbrook trade.”
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When looking at it from that perspective, it is certainly too expensive. Turner and Hield are both solid players, but to sacrifice that much in two offseasons would be a lot for any franchise, even one as focused on winning championships as the Lakers are.
