At 17-16, the Indiana Pacers are coming to a crossroads. They embarked on essentially the first rebuild in franchise history ahead of the 2022 NBA trade deadline, trading Domantas Sabonis, Torrey Craig, and Caris LeVert. The process continued in the offseason as Malcolm Brogdon was traded to the Boston Celtics.
Despite trading away almost all of its veterans, the team has found some success this season. Tyrese Haliburton, who was acquired as part of the Sabonis trade, is playing at an All-Star level. Bennedict Mathurin has looked excellent during his rookie campaign.
If the team wanted to dive even deeper into a rebuild, they have two more veterans who would draw a lot of interest on the trade market: Buddy Hield and Myles Turner. Both have been involved in rumors for months, with Turner having a unique situation because he is heading toward unrestricted free agency.
Turner is putting together a career season thus far, showcasing he is more than just a spot-up 3-point shooter on offense. While still shooting great from the perimeter, knocking down a career-high 41.3 percent of his long-range attempts, Turner is shooting a career-best 54.0 percent overall from the field, leading to a career-high 16.2 points per game.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers & Toronto Raptors Updates
He also controls the glass well, pulling down a career-high 7.9 rebounds per game. His defense remains excellent, as he is swatting 2.1 shots per game and impacting many more with his prowess as a rim protector.
While the Pacers have opened up contract extension talks with Turner, they plan to keep their options open. There is still a chance that he will be traded away before the deadline, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, with two teams emerging as potential suitors: the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors.
“The Pacers are expected to continue to have an open mindset regarding the trade market and are not ruling out anything as part of their direction. The Lakers and Raptors are among the teams that have shown interest in Turner in recent months, according to league sources.”
The Los Angeles Lakers have been connected to Turner for a while as they desperately need an infusion of talent on their roster. He and Hield have both been targets of Los Angeles as they need to improve things around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers & Toronto Raptors Updates
Turner would be an excellent fit in Toronto as they sorely lack size on the interior. It hurt them in their series against the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2022 postseason and has been a weakness throughout the season. Given his skill set, acquiring Turner wouldn’t require Nick Nurse to adjust the team’s game plan on either end of the court.
