Indiana Pacers: Evaluating a Timberwolves proposed trade for Myles Turner

A Minnesota Timberwolves blog recently proposed a trade for Myles Turner. Let’s take a look from the Indiana Pacers perspective

The Indiana Pacers decided to let the trade deadline pass this year without making any transactions. Big surprise, right? If they were to make a trade, it was likely to be centered on moving Myles Turner.

Ultimately, it was a good thing that they didn’t. The fortifying presence Turner offers on the defensive end is a key component to the Pacers’ system and identity, and it would have been key to have him as a foundational piece heading into the playoffs.

Of course, it remains to be seen if we’ll even get the playoffs from the NBA in general this year, but there’s no way Kevin Pritchard and the Pacers could have seen a suspension of the season coming.

Moving forward, the Pacers are going to have to make a decision with Turner and stand by it. There are some encouraging notes to take away from the first season of the starting frontcourt pairing with Domantas Sabonis, but it clearly is taking some time to get in a groove.

The Pacers may decide to trade Turner and go all-in on Sabonis and Victor Oladipo as their young core.

As a result, teams will come a-knockin’, and Turner is going to be mentioned in hypothetical and speculative trades.

Dylan Jackson put together a great hypothetical trade breakdown for Timberwolves fans at Dunking With Wolves looking at how Myles Turner could be the Wolves’ third star if they trade for him.

Here’s the trade Jackson put together:

Given Turner’s long-standing presence with the team, saying goodbye to him will be hard, and fans are likely to overvalue him, demanding more than just two first-round picks and a young prospect.

That said, this trade, even though it comes from a T’Wolves blog, is fair, especially when you consider what similar players have been traded for in recent history.

Turner has legitimate Defensive Player of the Year potential, and I believe if he’s traded he should yield a value similar to that of the trade proposed here.

The Nets’ first-round pick figures to come in at 16th in this year’s draft. The Pacers, as it stands, are advantaged by not having a first-round pick this year, but could inject some young talent to the roster with a flier in this year’s very unstable draft.

Jarrett Culver is an unproven rookie out of Texas Tech, but has a high ceiling. He has the frame and intelligence to put together a nice defensive package in the coming seasons as he grows into his NBA shoes. With Jeremy Lamb likely out to start next season, Culver would provide ball handling depth for Indiana.

This season, he averaged 9.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 23.9 minutes per game.

He wouldn’t be ready for anything close to a starting role next season, but is a project for the coaching staff to massage and see what they can mold. He’s early enough in his career that he should still be extremely coachable.

When you consider that, this is almost like three young prospects in return for Turner. The Pacers could even stockpile these assets and package them for another deal that gets them closer to immediate goals, if that’s the route they want to take.

A deal like this gives the Pacers plenty of flexibility.

With Minnesota advancing their timeline in the D’Angelo Russell trade, the Pacers just might be able to gain future assets to help keep their future bright while making for a more logical roster build by offloading Myles Turner and bringing in Jarrett Culver.