Myles Turner had been out of action for two weeks after missing the last three games before the All-Star break. However, the Indiana Pacers big man made his return in the team's first game of the second half of the season and made a big statement.
In his return, Turner recorded 17 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and a season-high seven blocks. This was the first time the Texas native recorded seven or more blocks in a game since March 9, 2023, against the Houston Rockets.
Turner was everywhere on the court and once again proved his importance to the Pacers. For years (including earlier this year), Turner has been involved in trade rumors. However, the Pacers have not pulled the trigger on a trade involving their long-time big man yet, and rightfully so. Despite running the risk of losing him as a free agent this summer, the Pacers front office once again opted to keep Turner around, and it took just one game for them to confirm they made the right call.
The Pacers chose not to trade Myles Turner before this year's deadline
Last week, Pacers GM Chad Buchanan opened up about the recent batch of Turner trade rumors and called them "comical." Furthermore, Buchanan made it clear that the Pacers view Turner as an essential part of the team's success and cited his fit alongside Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam as major reasons the team did not want to trade him.
By not trading Turner, the Pacers essentially sent two different messages. The first is that there was no possible way the Pacers would have been able to acquire somebody who could provide equal value on and off the court to Turner. And second, by not trading Turner (or anyone else on the team aside from James Wiseman), the Pacers front office clearly feels confident in their title contention this season, and much of that has to do with their veteran big man.
Turner has constantly shown why he is so valuable to this Pacers team over the years, but this may be most evident this year. He is making an impact on both sides of the ball (and even as a rebounder, as seen in Thursday's victory over the Grizzlies), and it is clear that the Pacers do not look as strong when he is on the court.
In just one game, Turner proved that the Pacers made the right decision by not trading him. Whether he re-signs in free agency is a different story. However, as it stands, there are very few reasons for Pacers fans to worry about "Samurai Myles" leaving Indiana after this season.