For much of his Indiana Pacers tenure, big man Myles Turner has been the subject of trade rumors. That was no different this year.
As an impending free agent, there was some talk about the Pacers potentially trading Turner to avoid the risk of losing him in free agency. Furthermore, with reports suggesting that the two sides may not come to terms on a new contract, a trade seemed like a real possibility. This idea was only enforced after the Los Angeles Lakers, arguably the main suitor for Turner, traded Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic in a stunner.
With their lack of big men, the stars aligned for the Lakers to trade for Turner once and for all. However, after their most recent activity, it is fair to say that Turner will remain a Pacer past the trade deadline.
The Lakers trade for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams
In another semi-shocking move, the Lakers traded rookie Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Mark Williams. With this move, the Lakers now have a starting center and are seemingly no longer in the market for a player like Turner. Now that the Lakers are likely out of the hypothetical Turner sweepstakes, that is one significant destination for him that is no longer an option.
While there are other teams who could have interest in a trade for Turner, it seems likely that the Pacers will not move their long-time big man. Even though it is risky to keep him into the offseason, this is still the right move.
Any trade involving Turner was going to be a negative one for the Pacers. They are a contending team now (in large part because of Turner) and making a major trade like this during the season would likely impact their chemistry in a major way. Additionally, it is nearly impossible for the Pacers to get an even return for Turner at this point. This is especially true given his contract situation.
Turner has been a hot name on the trade market for a long time, yet he remains a member of the Pacers. The Texas native is an essential part of the team, and it is important that he remains in Indiana past the deadline as they reach title contention. Whether the big man re-signs in the offseason is a different story. However, as it stands, Pacers fans should have no reason to believe that Turner will leave any time soon.