The Dallas Mavericks were expected to be one of several teams who would pursue Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner at the NBA Trade Deadline on February 10th. While he just suffered a foot injury that will keep him out for the next month, it appears the Mavs have toned down their interest in Turner prior to him going on the shelf.
The Mavericks have been frequently linked to a trade pursuit of Indiana's Myles Turner, but league sources say Dallas had already backed off on its interest even before Turner's foot injury and with its team defense already flourishing at No. 5 overall in defensive efficiency.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 18, 2022
Defense was one of the main reasons the Mavs were eyeing Turner. He's a legitimate rim-runner and a formidable shot-blocker, but Dallas has been drastically improving on that end of the floor recently. They're 9-1 in their last 10 games and have won three straight, containing their opponents to under 100 points in three of the previous five contests.
The Mavs are actually looking like they can be a surefire playoff team right now. At 25-19, Jason Kidd's squad is in fifth place in the heavily competitive Western Conference. Their defensive efforts on a nightly basis leave them with little need for Turner, allowing just 102.7 points per game, the third-lowest in the NBA. Even though Dallas reportedly backed off the Pacers big before his injury, you'd have to believe that's going to make them shy away from him even more now, paired with their recent success.
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