San Antonio Spurs could have a window to trade for Myles Turner soon
Could the San Antonio Spurs have a chance to trade for Myles Turner?
Last summer the Oklahoma City Thunder helped shake up the NBA by sending Paul George to Los Angeles for a massive haul of draft picks and players. It wasn’t long after that they made more seismic moves and delt Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets. In a heartbeat, two stars had forced their way out of OKC. Now a similar situation might be shaping up in Indiana, potentially to the benefit of the San Antonio Spurs.
As originally reported by Jared Weiss with The Athletic, Victor Oladipo is looking to leave the Indiana Pacers this summer. That shouldn’t grab the Spurs’ interest. Oladipo likely has no interest in playing for San Antonio and the Spurs backcourt is crowded enough as it is. But the ripple effects from a deal that pulls Oladipo away from the Pacers could help San Antonio.
If Oladipo is able to force his way out of Indiana there’s are those who believe that Myles Turner could be the next Pacer to request a trade. The Spurs shouldn’t make a call for Oladipo but they should definitely do their due diligence on what a trade for Turner would cost them.
Myles Turner would bring great versatility to the San Antonio Spurs
Frankly, even if Oladipo isn’t able to get out of Indiana it wouldn’t be surprising to see Turner try to get to a new team before the start of next season. He was the man in the middle for the Pacers for a while but he’s taken a backseat to Domantas Sabonis over the past couple years. It’s hard to believe that that wouldn’t be part of the reason he might want out.
If the Pacers are inclined to meet a Turner trade demand they surely won’t have a hard time finding suitors. Turner is one of the more versatile big men in the league and he’s still just 24 years old.
The Pacers didn’t make too much noise in the playoffs but you can’t put any of that on Turner. He was phenomenal in Indiana’s first-round sweep at the hands of the eventual Eastern Conference Champion Miami Heat.
Turner showed why he’s such an interesting player in the four games it took the Heat to dispatch the Pacers. He averaged 15.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 4 blocks per game while also knocking down 43 percent of his 3-point attempts. There simply aren’t many big men in the league who can give you that level of outside shooting and protect the rim at an elite level as Turner does.
Turner’s versatility would fit well with the Spurs on both ends of the floor. He should thrive in the Spurs drive and kick offense where he could switch between hiding in the dunker’s spot for easy finishes or fade out behind the arc for spot-up three opportunities. On defense, he’d give the Spurs the rim protection that they desperately need.
There is the question of what it would take to potentially bring Turner to San Antonio. Would it be worth giving up LaMarcus Aldridge? Probably, Turner is young and would bring a fairly comparable skillset. But Aldridge and the 2020 first-round pick, now that might be too much for the Spurs to agree to.
This is all hypothetical right now but If things get to the point where Myles Turner formally requests a trade the San Antonio Spurs should be one of the first teams to put in a call and see what the Pacers asking price is.
