Suns Reportedly Declined Myles Turner in Trade Talks

The Suns did not want Turner in a sign-and-trade for Deandre Ayton.
Suns Reportedly Declined Myles Turner in Trade Talks
Suns Reportedly Declined Myles Turner in Trade Talks /
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The Phoenix Suns were intent on having center Deandre Ayton stick around. 

Or at least not let him walk for free.

So when the Suns reportedly matched the offer sheet the Indiana Pacers sent (four-years, $133 million), it wasn't much of a surprise. 

Now, Ayton will at bare minimum be in Phoenix through Jan. 15, which is the next time he'll be able to be traded. From an organizational perspective, people such as general manager James Jones might from the acquisition as something they wanted the entire time.

However, the Suns indeed did engage with trade talks prior to the offer sheet, according to various insiders. 

One part of a potential package coming back to Phoenix would have been Pacers center Myles Turner, but the Suns said no thank you. 

Turner has been heavily involved in trade rumors for awhile now, but this specific offseason isn't exactly the best to acquire him. Although Turner is just 26-years-old, he enters the last year of his contract making $18 million. 

Earlier in June, Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported Phoenix was working on a trade for Turner. 

Last season, he played in 42 games, averaging 12.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and one assist per contest. This past season, his player efficiency rating (PER) was 17.4, which ranked 39th out of all centers in the NBA.

For comparison, Ayton's PER was 21.99 (good enough for No. 13 in the rankings).

Turner is known as a valuable rim protector, averaging at least two blocks per night since the 2018-19 season. He's led the NBA twice in rejections. 

However, the Suns declined his services and opted to keep Ayton around for what many fans hope to be the long-term. 

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Donnie Druin
DONNIE DRUIN

Donnie Druin is the Publisher for All Cardinals and Inside The Suns. Donnie moved to Arizona in 2012 and has been with Fan Nation since 2018. In college he won "Best Sports Column" in the state of Arizona for his section and has previously provided coverage for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona State Sun Devils. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin for more news, updates, analysis and more!