Indiana Pacers: Evaluating the Charlotte Hornets as a prospective trade partner

The Charlotte Hornets need rim protection and shooting, making the Myles Turner a logical target. Do they have enough to offer the Indiana Pacers?

If the Indiana Pacers are to make a trade this offseason, it’s likely to be a deal centered on Myles Turner.

Turner, the longest-tenured Pacer, had a rough 2019-20 with the Pacers and struggled to adjust to a new starting lineup alongside Domantas Sabonis. Sabonis, who just signed an extension with the Pacers prior to the season, had a breakout year in which he was named to his first All-Star team.

Turner is an overlooked piece of the story. Though he has struggled to maintain the same level of dominant play that Pacers fans know from him, he has been instrumental in providing spacing for Sabonis to get physical on the interior.

Turner’s defensive skillset has been as reliable as ever for the Pacers and his rim protecting has been solid.

Still, the fit with Sabonis is questionable, and the Pacers have enough talent in the frontcourt that they should be thinking about potential trades this offseason that involve Turner. There are reasons to avoid making a deal, absolutely, but the Pacers need to do their due diligence and hear interested teams out.

One of the teams that could be a trade partner for the Pacers is the Charlotte Hornets.

The Hornets have struggled immensely with rim protection this year, and haven’t really had a solid defensive center since 2016. They were connected to Andre Drummond in trade rumors prior to the deadline this year but didn’t pull the trigger.

The need for a center still rings true, as most recently told by head coach James Borrego.

So, could the Hornets function as a potential trade partner for the Pacers?

Let’s take a look at the moving parts.