Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers Receive: F Kyle Kuzma, C Marc Gasol, LAL 2025 1st Round Pick (Top-3 Protected), LAL 2027 1st Round Pick (unprotected)
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: C Myles Turner
The Lakers’ frontcourt has been a mess this season and as a result, they could look to finally target Myles Turner from the Pacers, who has been a rumored trade target of theirs for months now. Turner is not only one of the top shot-blockers in the league, but he is very much in the running for Defensive Player of the Year this season.
Turner currently leads the league in blocked shots and he is more than capable of growing into a guy that can contribute just as much offensively as he does defensively. Myles Turner has shot 35.3% from three-point range over the course of his career and given his length/size, he is able to score in the paint over smaller forwards/centers. His role with the Pacers has just never expanded since his second-season and has actually been lessened.
Next to Anthony Davis in the frontcourt, Myles Turner could not only continue to be one of the best defensive players in the league, but he could help form one of the best defensive frontcourt duos in NBA history. When healthy, AD is one of the premier defensive players in the league and Myles Turner is one of the best shot-blockers in the league and anchors the Pacers’ half-court defense.
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Together, this duo could be virtually impossible to stop and give the Lakers the best defensive team in the league. Trading Kuzma for Turner should be a no-brainer, but the only question is whether or not the Pacers will entertain the idea of trading their big man in the offseason. This will be something to monitor in NBA trade rumors, to say the least.
There was heavy speculation that he could be moved at this past trade deadline, but the Pacers and Turner shot down all the NBA trade rumors that they were looking to trade him. Who knows what the truth is, but if Indiana looks to tear things down in the offseason, expect to see the Lakers go after Myles Turner.
