The Indiana Pacers were close to snatching Deandre Ayton away from the Phoenix Suns. It would have given the Pacers a skilled, young center to pair with Tyrese Haliburton and possibly led to a Myles Turner trade coming to fruition. Phoenix put the kibosh on those plans, though.
The Pacers could have tried to work out a sign-and-trade that sent Turner (and possibly other players) to the Suns. This would have finally allowed them to move on from Turner and persuaded the Suns to let him leave. Phoenix was not interested in doing so, instead choosing to match the offer sheet immediately and keep Ayton.
Now, Indiana still has Turner. The 26-year-old has been on the trade block for a while now. it doesn't seem like he's bound to move after watching Malcolm Brogdon get traded to the Boston Celtics. He is the last remaining piece of their playoff core. The time has never been more appropriate to trade him, even though Ayton isn't coming to Indiana.
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3 reasons Pacers must still trade Myles Turner after Deandre Ayton saga
3. Indiana has young centers to develop
If the Pacers didn't have many options behind Turner, it might make more sense to keep him for a portion of the season. However, that is not the case. The team has several big men who should get playing time not only because they are young but because they have shown some potential.
The Pacers have second-year big man Isaiah Jackson, mid-season trade acquisition Jalen Smith and 2019 first-round pick Goga Bitadze. Each of them is younger than 23 years old and could be a solid player to build around.
Jackson is just 20 years old and has the makings of a solid shot blocker and lob finisher. Smith shot 37.3 percent from the 3-point territory after being traded to Indiana last season. Bitadze may be the odd one out, especially with his contract also set to expire, but has shown some promise as a shot-blocker. Indiana should find as much playing time for each of them as possible.
2. Turner's contract is running out
The urgency to trade Turner is growing because his contract is going to expire after this season. The Pacers have opted not to move on from Turner plenty of times. They are running out of road to kick the can down.
The Pacers can still wait until the trade deadline to move Turner. Teams may be more active in talks about him at that time. However, the Pacers won't have as much leverage to trade him later on. Also, they would be wise to open up playing time for Jackson, Smith and Bitadze sooner. It's in their best interest to trade him this offseason.
Turner is making $17.5 million this season. The Pacers should not have much of a problem finding a team who can accommodate a trade for a contract of that size.
1. Turner should still have a market
Despite a flurry of rumors at the trade deadline, Turner was not traded, partly due to a foot injury. Now that he is healthy, there should be plenty of teams interested in adding him.
Plenty of teams spent this offseason looking for centers. With their options bare, Turner could be the best one up for grabs at the moment. The Charlotte Hornets could look to add Turner and use first-round pick Mark Williams as a backup. The Brooklyn Nets could add him to their center rotation, too.
Even if it's too late for the Pacers to get back something of real value for Myles Turner, it's in their best interest to move on. They have enough young talent to lean fully into a rebuild and the possibility of finding a trade should not be too difficult.
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