NBA Trade Rumors: Indiana Pacers' ace shot-blocker open to joining LA Lakers this offseason

Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner is open to the possibility of playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Although the free agency noise dialed down after the first few days, the situation is not yet over.

The Lakers have been in constant trade talks the past week centered around All-Star guards like Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving. However, with little to no development regarding the Westbrook-Irving trade, the Lakers have shifted their focus towards the Indiana Pacers center.

Prior to Westbrook's arrival at the Lakers, there had been plenty of reports that the Lakers front office was planning on pursuing Buddy Hield.

Given the Lakers' underwhelming season, they are actively trying to improve their roster. In a recent interview, center Myles Turner said that he would be open to the possibility of suiting up for the purple and gold.

For the Lakers, trading for Turner would definitely boost their interior defense. Over the past few seasons, we've seen Anthony Davis anchor the Lakers' interior defense himself. Adding Turner would help Davis focus more on the offensive side of the game without much worry.

As for Turner, his ability to stretch the defense would prove to be valuable for the Lakers. With players like LeBron James and Lonnie Walker IV, who often slashes inside, Turner could open up the floor for them.

The question is how will the Lakers pull this trade off? Currently, they do not have enough pieces to trade for Myles Turner. It would be interesting to see the Lakers convince the Pacers to trade their valuable center.

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Turner's days with the Pacers seem to be over

Indiana Pacers v Cleveland Cavaliers - Game Two

Myles Turner is one of two Indiana players who have played significant basketball of late. The other player is Lance Stephenson, who returned to the Pacers last season.

Turner has carved out a decent NBA career after getting picked 11th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. Since then, he's constantly improved his game, especially his shot blocking. He became the NBA's Block Champ in 2019 and 2021.

Turner has become one of the most sought-after bigs in the league due to his ability to adapt to the modern NBA. Despite his notable individual success, he's always been associated with trade rumors.

However, the front office has been unable to get a respectable offer in exchange for the big man. The reason for this is his injury problems. He was unable to return from his foot stress reaction after suffering from it last January and sat out the remainder of the 2021-22 season. Before that, a toe injury put Turner on the sidelines as his team fought for the eighth seed.