Mavs Should Trade for Pacers' Myles Turner to Bolster Depleted Frontcourt
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Even before Maxi Kleber went down with a torn hamstring, the Dallas Mavericks could've used a versatile defensive anchor like Indiana Pacers big man and DFW native Myles Turner. Now, with Kleber set to miss at least six-to-eight weeks? They could use Turner's services more than ever.
The 26-year-old is in the final year of his contract with the Pacers, and unless a contract extension takes place in the next month or so, Indiana might be wise to trade Turner now instead of potentially losing him for nothing. The Mavs know firsthand how that feels, as they lost Jalen Brunson to the New York Knicks for nothing in free agency over the summer. In hindsight, getting anything for Brunson would've been better than what transpired.
Gauging Turner's trade value is tricky, because although he's on an expiring contract and appears to be heading for unrestricted free agency, he's also currently having a career-best season with the Pacers. In 24 games, Turner is averaging 17.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 55.5 percent from the field, including 43 percent on 3s.
That kind of production is well worth a team giving up at least one first-round pick for, which something Dallas will surely try to avoid, if possible, given its limited draft capital flexibility due to owning the Knicks its 2023 pick. However, any team giving up a future first-round pick will be taking a risk unless they know for sure Turner will sign a long-term contract to stay past this season.
Turner's value will depend on what the trade market looks like and how the Pacers front office feels about the pieces the Mavs have to offer, but here's a trade scenario we could see potentially working for both sides:
Mavs receive: Myles Turner
Pacers receive: Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell, two second-round picks
In theory, the Pacers could get a better offer for Turner than this one, but again, any team trading for Turner is taking a risk. Not only could Turner walk for nothing in free agency, but he also has a lengthy injury history as well, which could make teams hesitant when discussing the terms of a contract extension.
Although Kleber is going to miss some time with his hamstring injury, he's got three years remaining on his contract after this one and would help Indiana when he returns. Powell, who is on an expiring contract, has proven he can be useful in limited minutes as both a starter and a bench player. Both Kleber and Powell were favorites of former coach Rick Carlisle, who is now the coach of the Pacers, so perhaps that could play a factor here as well.
For the Mavs, getting Turner would feel like fate, as the two sides have been linked in trade rumors for nearly five years now. Turner has always shown a fondness for his hometown team and has always been complementary of Luka Doncic.
“Oh, [Luka's] definitely up there,” Turner told DallasBasketball.com in an exclusive offseason interview when asked about Doncic's standing among the NBA's elite. “The way he sees the game, the way he’s able to get everyone involved, the swag he plays with — he embodies — is rare. Especially as young as he is. He came into this league really killing it from the jump.
“I think he’s going to continue to work on his body and work on the little facets of his game. As far as straight talent, he already has all that down. So hopefully he’s in Dallas for years to come. But it’s interesting to see how he’s able to garner so much success so fast.”
Turner was spotted at American Airlines Center taking in the Mavs' postseason run to the Western Conference Finals last season, and he was impressed with the atmosphere.
“That atmosphere was electric,” said Turner. “It’s one thing to play [at AAC] during the season, but Mavericks playoffs was interesting to watch from the sideline. I went to a [Mavs] playoff game when I was a kid, but I was really young and couldn’t appreciate it the same way. … It was cool to see.
"I was surprised they beat Phoenix and made it as far as they did. Hopefully they continue to build on their success as well.”
Finding a way to acquire Turner before the February 9 trade deadline would help the Mavs do just that.
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