Indiana Pacers: Could Pelicans be trade destination for Myles Turner?

The Pelicans would struggle to create a package for Pacers forward Myles Turner

There are a number of reasons that the Indiana Pacers should not trade Myles Turner this offseason. There are also a number of reasons to hear interested teams out to ensure no attractive trade package goes by without consideration.

The New Orleans Pelicans could be a potential trade partner for the Pacers if they seek to move Turner, as pointed out by Pelican Debrief.

This would rely on the Pelicans losing Derrick Favors in free agency this summer, something that feels like a strong possibility. The loss of Favors would create a sizable hole in the “muscle” and “size” departments, something that Turner could help fulfill.

Turner is a legitimate defensive anchor and rim protector and has flashed some potential to fit into a Karl-Anthony Towns-type role on the offensive end this season, while having already proven himself in his first few seasons as a post-dominant, back to the basket center.

Turner’s 33.6 percent accuracy behind the arc needs some work, but he’s taken a major step forward in 3-point volume this year while not completely cratering in efficiency.

Turner would be an interesting pair with rookie phenomenon Zion Williamson on offense. Turner, having spent this season shooting nearly 45 percent of his shots beyond the arc (compared to about 25 percent last year) has become no stranger to having to space the floor for a fellow frontcourt member that does most of his work at the rim.

Williamson takes an astonishing 76.7 percent of his shots at the rim and has brought the same powerful explosion that he showed in his lone season at Duke to the NBA, despite a delayed start to the season.

As the Pelican Debrief article points out, Turner’s rebounding inefficiencies would be masked by Williamson, too, given that he has been one of the most surprising rebounders since making his NBA debut, and that the Pelicans have rebounded the ball at a much higher rate since Williamson’s debut.

There are clear concerns about how the hypothetical fit with Turner and Williamson would play out. There have already been questions regarding removing Turner from the paint in Indiana, and you would have to remove Turner from the paint on offense even more so with a player as unique as Williamson.

The whole idea with Williamson is clearing the lanes as much as possible for him to have space and runway for liftoff for powerful runs at the rim.

If Turner can lean into a role similar to Daniel Theis in clearing the lane with crafty seals in the pick-and-roll there’s something to be said about how Turner could create interior room for Williamson, but I simply can’t see Turner taking such a background role in the offense.

Crafting a trade is difficult as well. Turner has an $18 million salary that would need to be matched in a trade. The Pelicans would likely need to include Jrue Holiday, J.J. Redick, or Lonzo Ball to make the deal work unless a signed free agent is included.

It seems unreasonable to expect Pelicans General Manager David Griffin to move any of those three for a player like Turner that produces questionable fits with the team’s best player on the offensive end, given that they all space the floor quite well for Williamson without giving up their best skillsets.

This is a good example of why it’s best to expect that the Pacers will hold onto Turner. As much as there are fit concerns with him and Sabonis in the starting frontcourt, he is a defensive anchor and quality basketball player. If the Pacers trade him, it needs to be for something big, and teams that might want him don’t even have the right pieces to make a transaction happen.