Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner is expected to be one of the most coveted big men on the trade market in the 2022 NBA offseason. The Pacers may have already traded Domantas Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings before the 2022 NBA trade deadline, but rumors continue to swirl around Turner and his future in Indiana.
According to a source who spoke to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the Pacers have already resumed trade conversations about Turner ahead of the 2022 NBA Draft.
Several teams have expressed a strong interest in acquiring Turner from the Pacers in the past months. One of the top suitors for Turner on the trading block is the Charlotte Hornets.
In a recent article, Kenneth Teape of NBA Analysis Network came up with a hypothetical trade idea that would enable the Hornets to land Turner for a trade package centered on the No. 13 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
In the proposed trade scenario, the Hornets would be offering Gordon Hayward, the No. 13 pick, and top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick to the Pacers in exchange for Turner and TJ McConnell.
Though it would cost them two first-round selections, the proposed blockbuster deal would be a no-brainer for the Hornets.
The suggested trade won't only help them address their major frontcourt problem but also enable them to unload Hayward and the $61.5 million he's owed over the next two seasons. Getting Hayward's massive salary off their books would make it easier for the Hornets to give Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball lucrative contract extensions.
Aside from adding Turner and dumping Hayward, the Hornets would also be acquiring a solid veteran role player in McConnell, who could serve as the primary backup for Ball next season.
Turner would undeniably be an incredible addition to the Hornets. He's yet to reach the same level as Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, but he would still be a massive upgrade over Mason Plumlee and Montrezl Harrell at the Hornets' starting center position.
His potential arrival in Charlotte would boost the Hornets' performance on both ends of the floor, giving them a very reliable scorer under the basket, a great rebounder, a monster shot-blocker, and a legitimate floor spacer.
This season, the 26-year-old center averaged 12.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.
The hypothetical trade would also be worth exploring for the rebuilding Pacers, especially knowing that Turner is already entering the final year of his contract.
Instead of taking the risk of losing him in the summer of 2023 as a free agent without getting anything in return, the suggested deal would enable the Pacers to turn Turner's expiring contract into assets that would help them speed up the rebuilding process.
The Pacers won't mind absorbing Hayward's massive contract since they are expected to spend the next two years developing their young core.
