In the scope of NBA trade rumors, few players have dealt with their name being thrown around in rumors more than Myles Turner, and it’s a phenomenon Indiana Pacers fans have become all too familiar with.
For the past five years, the Pacers big man has been tossed in trade rumors as the team has gone through a weird phase. They went from playoff team to rebuilding, yet Turner has been there through it all.
However, the team committed to Turner this past season, handing him a lucrative (and unique) contract extension that will keep him in town for the next two years.
3 Myles Turner trade pitches: Reject, repair, and rejoice for Pacers
Turner earned his extension by putting up career numbers last year. He put up 18.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 54.8% from the field and 37.3% from behind the three-point line.
He was the team’s second-leading scorer behind Tyrese Haliburton, and at just 26 years old, he’s also just entering the prime years of his career.
But despite Turner’s top-notch play and Indiana’s investment in the center, some are still throwing him in trade ideas, using him as bait for the Pacers to improve or add draft capital.
And with the number of Turner mock trades floating around the internet, some are bound to be… less realistic than others. It’s just the nature of the beast.
Some trade ideas see the Pacers sell super low on a guy who just put up career numbers, some have them taking an odd direction moving forward, and others just make no sense whatsoever.
At the same time, however, some of the trades are solid. While the Pacers probably want to hold onto Turner, giving him up could be worth it for them in certain trades.
Let’s take a look at three Turner trades that have been concocted. We’ll reject one, repair one, and rejoice at one.
3 Myles Turner trade pitches: Reject, repair, and rejoice for Pacers: Maxi Kleber
For this deal, we’re going to be rejecting the entire premise of the trade. There just isn’t a way for the move to make sense for the Indiana Pacers.
Pacers receive: Maxi Kleber, 20227 first-round pick (via DAL)
Mavericks receive: Myles Turner
Spurs receive: T.J. McConnell, JaVale McGee, 2024 second-round pick (via IND from MIL), 2030 second-round pick (via DAL)
This trade was concocted by Michael Mulford of DallasBasketball.com, and while JaVale McGee has since been waived and can no longer be included, that doesn’t affect this deal from Indiana’s perspective.
Even if the Mavericks threw in another player who makes similar money and they were sent to the Pacers, it still wouldn’t be worth it for Indiana to make this deal.
Myles Turner had more success last year with Tyrese Haliburton at the point guard than he ever has, and the Pacers could be ready to push for the postseason sooner than most realize.
Trading him for an aging veteran role player and a future first-round pick that may or may not be valuable wouldn’t help them now or in the future.
Obviously, this would be insane value for Dallas, as they’d be getting the starting-caliber center they desperately need, but Indiana has no motivation to make a trade like this.
All in all, the Pacers would be giving up Turner, TJ McConnell, and a second-round pick for a role player and a first-rounder that doesn’t convey until four years into the future.
That’s just not a smart move for the Pacers.
3 Myles Turner trade pitches: Reject, repair, and rejoice for Pacers: Jonas Valanciunas
This is the trade that we’ll be repairing, though it still may not be perfect by the time we’re finished. However, we’ll make it intriguing enough to the point where Indiana Pacers fans would at least raise their eyebrows.
Here is the initial deal that was mocked up:
Pacers receive: Jonas Valanciunas, Kira Lewis Jr., Naji Marshall
Pelicans receive: Myles Turner
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report wrote up this trade earlier this summer. The premise makes some sense, but as a whole, it’s still not great for the Pacers.
Indiana would essentially be downgrading their center position in exchange for an unproven young point guard and a solid rotational wing. It just doesn’t jump off the page as a trade Indiana would want to make.
However, a couple of tweaks could make this a bit more interesting for Indiana. Here’s a quick change:
Pacers receive: Jonas Valanciunas, Dyson Daniels, 2027 first-round pick (via MIL)
Pelicans receive: Myles Turner
Rather than taking on Kira Lewis Jr. and Naji Marshall, the Pacers would get back Dyson Daniels and a first-round pick in this deal.
Daniels showed some serious flashes of potential last year with the New Orleans Pelicans, and with his size, there’s a world where he could fit well next to Tyrese Haliburton.
Plus, the first-round pick would be a nice asset for Indiana to add to their arsenal moving forward as they look to construct a solid roster around Haliburton.
Obviously, Turner’s defensive presence and floor spacing would make him an ideal fit next to Zion Williamson in New Orleans, and with their solid depth, they could be willing to send out some assets to upgrade the center position and get a bit younger.
It’s not perfect, but it’s intriguing.
3 Myles Turner trade pitches: Reject, repair, and rejoice for Pacers: Pascal Siakam
A quickly learned lesson throughout writing this article is that there aren’t many great Myles Turner trades out there. At least from the perspective of the Indiana Pacers. All of the deals either leave the Pacers without a starting center or don’t see them add a big enough star in lieu of a center.
Because of that, we’re going to cheat with the “rejoice” section.
Instead of finding an exact trade, we’re going to discuss the concept of a trade that’s been brought up by multiple outlets – Pascal Siakam.
Earlier this summer, the Indiana Pacers were rumored to be interested in Siakam. The Toronto Raptors star would fit great next to Pascal Siakam, and giving up Turner to get him could be necessary.
There’s a chance the Raptors would ask for Buddy Hield and young pieces instead, but the Pacers should be willing to give up Turner in a deal if it meant they could land Siakam.
Ideally, the Pacers would be able to keep Turner and pair him in the frontcourt with Siakam, but regardless, the general concept of this “rejoice” section is that Siakam would be an ideal fit in Indiana.
The general framework of a trade involving Turner and Siakam would be the big man, salary filler, a young piece, and draft capital for the Raptors forward.
If that were the price, the Pacers should seriously consider the move in an attempt to pair Tyrese Haliburton with another All-Star-caliber player.