Dallas Mavericks Receive: C Myles Turner, G Edmond Sumner

Indiana Pacers Receive: G Jalen Brunson, C Dwight Powell, F Dorian Finney-Smith, DAL 2022 1st Round Pick

While it may seems idiotic for the Pacers to trade away their defensive superstar in Myles Turner, adding more overall depth to their roster could be the difference in them making a deep playoff run. This team needs more help in their second-unit as they currently rank 25th in bench points per game this season. 

With Doug McDermott moving into the starting rotation for Indiana over their last few games, T.J. McConnell and Jeremy Lamb are their only impactful players on their bench, leaving this team very short-handed at times. When Warren and LeVert do eventually return, Indiana’s bench will definitely improve since Holiday and McDermott will return to the second-unit, but until then, Indiana needs help if they are to contend for a playoff spot in a very bottom-heavy Eastern Conference. 

Jalen Brunson is having a sensational season off-the-bench this year and both Dorian Finney-Smith and Dwight Powell could help Indiana on the defensive-end of the court. Now in his third year, Brunson has seen his minutes increase this season and as a result, he has become one of the best players on the court next to Luka Doncic for Dallas. 

He is averaging 12.4 points, 3.4 assists, 3.3 rebounds and is shooting 41.4% from three-point range this season, making him one of the better back-up point guards in the league. He could be a perfect fit in the backcourt with Brogdon and McConnell and could be a high-impact player the Pacers need to make a deep playoff run. 

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Outside of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis this year, the Mavericks have really struggled to find production, which could be a reason why they would be hesitant to trade a lot of their depth, but Myles Turner could become a really solid all-around player in Dallas. This team needs that third reliable scoring option and Turner could elevate his game with a player like Doncic dishing him the ball on offense. 

Indiana needs some more depth and Dallas needs a third weapon who can contribute on both ends of the court, so could this trade actually be something that gets brought up near the NBA trade deadline? Let’s take a closer look as to why this trade makes sense for both the Pacers and the Mavericks.