While the Pacers have begun contract extension negotiations with Turner, they intend to keep all options open. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, there is still a chance he will be traded before the deadline, with two teams emerging as potential suitors: the Los Angeles Lakers and the Toronto Raptors.
Myles Turner could still be traded by the Pacers, and the Lakers and Raptors have been mentioned
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The Indiana Pacers are at a crossroads at 17-16. Before the 2022 NBA trade deadline, they began what was essentially the first rebuild in franchise history, trading Domantas Sabonis, Torrey Craig, and CarVert.
Malcolm Brogdon was traded to the Boston Celtics during the offseason, continuing the process.
Despite losing nearly all of its veterans, the team has had some success this season.
Tyrese Haliburton, acquired in the Sabonis trade, is performing at an All-Star level. Bennedict Mathurin has been impressive in his rookie season.
If the team wanted to go even deeper into a rebuild, they have two more veterans who would be highly sought after in trade: Buddy Hield and Myles Turner.
Both have been the subject of rumors for months, with Turner in a unique position due to his impending unrestricted free agency.
Turner is having a career season so far, demonstrating that he is more than just a spot-up 3-point shooter on offense.
Turner is still shooting well from the perimeter, hitting a career-high 41.3 percent of his long-range attempts, but he is also shooting a career-best 54.0 percent from the field overall, leading to a career-high 16.2 points per game.
He also has good rebounding ability, averaging a career-high 7.9 rebounds per game. His defense is still excellent, as he is swatting 2.1 shots per game and influencing many more with his rim protector abilities.
“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 linked to Turner for quite some time, as they desperately need to add talent to their roster.
Los Angeles has made him and Hield targets as they look to improve their situation around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Turner would be an excellent fit in Toronto, where the interior is severely lacking in size.
It harmed them in their playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers in 2022, and it has been a weakness all season.
Given Turner’s skill set, acquiring him would not necessitate Nick Nurse changing the team’s game plan on either end of the court.
