The Indiana Pacers may never be able to replace Myles Turner, and the moves they have made so far this offseason are proof of that.
In a bit of a surprise, Turner left the Pacers after 10 years with the team to join the Milwaukee Bucks. For much of the season into the offseason, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Pacers would get their long-time center back, even if it meant they would move into the luxury tax. However, this was not the case, and now they are in an interesting position.
There were pros and cons to the Pacers bringing the Texas native back, but the biggest negative was always going to be having to deal with replacing him. There are few big men in the NBA who can stretch the floor and protect the rim as well as Turner can, and he was a perfect fit in their system. He had his flaws (which were heavily exposed in the NBA Finals), but it was always going to be challenging finding somebody to replace his impact.
The offseason is still young, and plenty more moves could be on the horizon for the Pacers. However, they are already having a difficult job replacing their long-time center, and it may never get easier.
The Pacers have a lot of uncertainty at center
With Turner officially out of the picture, one of the biggest questions Indiana must answer is who their next center will be. In a bit of a bittersweet development, they have plenty of options, though none of them are ideal. Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman are both coming off Achilles injuries, and it will be tough to rely on them full-time. Additionally, Tony Bradley is not good enough to be an everyday starter for Indiana, though he provides some value and could be a solid depth piece once again.
The Pacers did make an interesting trade recently that may or may not pay dividends when they acquired Jay Huff from the Memphis Grizzlies. This was a very low-risk, high-reward move for Indiana as they gave up close to nothing for Huff, who is on a cheap contract. In a way, the 26-year-old has a similar skillset to Turner as he is fantastic as a three-point shooter, can run the floor, and provides defensive value. However, if Huff was the best Turner replacement Indiana could find, this is not ideal.
There is a lot to like about Huff in Indiana, especially given that he had a bit of a breakout season last year. However, while he looked good in Memphis, Huff has only started two games in his NBA career and has not had a big role, which he may be in line for with the Pacers. The Virginia alum might become a long-term fit in Indiana, or he will be exposed in a bigger role, putting the team back to square one.
Next year will be more of a gap year for the Pacers anyway as Tyrese Haliburton will miss the entire season due to an Achilles injury. That will give the team more time to figure things out. However, this may not be enough to replace Turner, who was a big part of their recent success, as the team may not be able to do so anytime soon.