Lakers trade packages to land Myles Turner
Before the embarrassing loss that the Lakers put on display Tuesday night in Philidelphia, the team had won six of their last seven games. Anthony Davis was also fresh off of his best game of the season, finishing with 42 points and 23 rebounds against the Charlotte Hornets.
The team’s offense and defense weren’t only improving, but specifically on the defensive side of the ball, it appeared that Los Angeles was beginning to formulate an identity. And just when everything was starting to plug along, Lakers faithful received awful news. It’s like clockwork with this organization.
Lakers say Anthony Davis will be re-evaluated in one week due to an abdominal muscle strain.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 29, 2025
Wednesday morning, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Anthony Davis’s injury against the Sixers wound up being an abdominal muscle strain. This injury is going to keep Davis out for at least a week, which was the timeline set for reevaluation.
The team, even with Davis on the floor, has already shown flaws in the frontcourt due to the lack of a counterpart down low for AD.
I truthfully can’t fathom the carnage fans are about to witness over the next week down low, as the team will have to put together a blend of Jaxson Hayes, Christian Koloko, and Trey Jemison lll to solve their problems.
Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt are options at the center as well, but what are we talking about here?
The time for Rob Pelinka to trade for a big came a long time ago, but now, with the team legitimately surging, I’m not sure he has a choice. A move has to be made, and a familiar name might be the perfect candidate.
Who is Myles Turner
If you’re a Lakers fan who has been following the team for the better part of the last five years, you are probably very familiar with the name Myles Turner. For some time now, Turner’s name has floated around in talks surrounding the Lakers for every offseason and trade deadline season.
The Indiana Pacers may not be willing to pay Myles Turner over $30 million on his next contract, which could potentially lead to him being placed on the trade market, per @jovanbuha
“I’ve heard Turner is about to be an unrestricted free agent and he’s going to want 30-plus… pic.twitter.com/l0I0sgT7V2
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 26, 2025
For those who don’t know, Myles Turner is one of the best non-superstar big men in the entire league. You will never hear his name in Jokic, Embiid, or AD conversations, but make no mistake: Turner is a needle mover.
Coming in at 6’11 and 250 lbs, Turner is an imposing figure down low. You pair that with his defensive instincts around the rim and a three-point shot, and you have a problem.
In his 10th season in the league, Myles Turner is averaging 16/7/2 with 1.9 blocks per game and shooting 40% from beyond the arc. Turner is also just 28 years old, which works perfectly with the Lakers’ timeline of looking to help now and build for the future with AD.
These following trades are all, except one, involving a talented big man headed to Indiana to fill the void left by Turner. As the Lakers don’t have any centers whose contracts work in a straight-up trade, the more likely route is a three-team deal. Which would you pull the trigger on?
Pacers and Blazers swap bigs
- Lakers Receive: Myles Turner
- Pacers Receive: Robert Williams, Jalen Hood-Schifino, LAL ’31 1st
- Blazers Receive: Rui Hachimura, LAL ’29 1st
Myles Turner heads West; Vucevic stays in division
- Lakers Receive: Myles Turner
- Pacers Receive: Nikola Vucevic, LAL ’31 1st
- Bulls Receive: Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino, LAL ’29 1st
Lakers involve Toronto
- Lakers Receive: Myles Turner
- Pacers Receive: Jakob Poeltl, LAL ’31 1st
- Raptors Receive: Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino, LAL ’29 1st
Lakers deal with a familiar partner
- Lakers Receive: Myles Turner
- Pacers Receive: Cam Johnson, Day’Ron Sharpe, LAL ’25 2nd
- Nets Receive: Rui Hachimura, Jarace Walker, Jalen Hood-Schifino, LAL ’29 & ’31 1st
Straight up with Indiana
- Lakers Receive: Myles Turner
- Pacers Receive: Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino OR Christian Wood, LAL ’29 & ’31 1st
This trade is probably the least likely to happen. Indiana is fresh off of a trip to the Conference Finals last season and currently sitting at the 5th seed in the East.
With Pascal Siakam having an all-star caliber season, it wouldn’t make much sense to designate him as the team’s big. A trade without a big in return wouldn’t benefit them.
They could go the route of wanting Christian Wood, but truthfully, he’s coming off of a not-so-great season, and his injury status is frankly unknown at this point. Again, I doubt a two-team trade is the end result.
Myles Turner with the Lakers
Anthony Davis has been having another fantastic season, so there is no need for a superstar to come in and lead the way. Of the big men that I’ve previewed trades for, however, Myles Turner is equally AD’s closest counterpart.
In a recent interview with Shams Charania, Davis stated that he believes he’s always been his best when he’s at the ‘four.’ Of all the centers in the league, few would pair better with Davis than Turner.
Lakers’ Anthony Davis sits down for ESPN: “One, we want to win it for the city. Two, we never got a parade. Three, it’s a lot of talk about an asterisk … We are (1-2 pieces away). I really feel like we are.”
On roster needs, JJ Redick, motivations alongside LeBron James, more: pic.twitter.com/AHe6pfHxjB
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 24, 2025
Their combined forces in the paint defensively and shared ability to stretch the floor on offense would make them a nightmare tandem for opposing frontcourts. Turner is also far more skilled than any of the other bigs on the roster who are not named AD.
In the stretches where AD may be banged up, much like the one they find themselves in now, the Lakers could count on Myles Turner to deliver down low.
The reason I included so many different trade possibilities in this article was to prove a point. If I can get this creative in my apartment bedroom, Rob Pelinka had better do something, and soon.
Should the Lakers trade for Jerami Grant and Robert Williams?
