With Anthony Davis likely out for at least a few more weeks, the Los Angeles Lakers desperately need some help in the frontcourt if they want to stay near the top of the West standings.
So, as the trade approaches, we can expect the Purple and Gold to be extremely active in their pursuit of talent.
According to a report that surfaced earlier this week, the Lakers are one of a few teams in the running for Pacers center Myles Turner. And while it remains to be seen what kind of offer the Pacers will get for him, Harrison Faigen of Silver Screen and Roll outlined one potential deal that could work for both sides: Turner to the Lakers for Montrezl Harrell, Marc Gasol, and Wesley Matthews.
If the Lakers are going to make a move for Turner, it would be on some level a tacit admission that they’re unsatisfied with their current center rotation, right? So if they really want him, they could potentially try what I call the “Scrap It and Start Over” deal.
The Lakers would also probably have to include a pick of some kind here, and just for posterity, we should note that if the Pacers did demand more value… Alex Caruso works in place of Marc Gasol.
For the record, the same caveats apply here as for P.J. Tucker yesterday: A three-for-one trade is incredibly difficult to make work during the season, especially with the Lakers being hard capped.
All that said, Turner is also a lot more likely to be worth the hassle than a 35-year-old in Tucker. At just 24, Turner is one of the league’s best defensive big men and a versatile offensive player who could potentially be the perfect frontcourt complement to Anthony Davis for years to come, and the exact kind of more traditional big man the internet is convinced the Lakers are missing.
Turner is in the second year of a four-year deal that pays him $17.5 million per season. It’s a pretty sizeable price tag for a big man of his stature, which might be why Indiana is willing to let him go.
For the Lakers, though, he’s exactly what they need: a big body in the paint who can grab rebounds, block shots, and score under the rim. And while Myles can be inconsistent offensively, his defense could be enough to keep the Lakers afloat and, later, elevate them further when (if) Anthony Davis returns to his normal self on the basketball court this season.
This season, he’s averaging 13.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game on 48% shooting.
