Should Pacers Consider Trading Myles Turner, Buddy Hield amid Latest NBA Rumors?
The Indiana Pacers are in the thick of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference, and there's a good chance they'll be there throughout the 2022-23 NBA regular season. Having missed the playoffs each of the past two years and not winning a postseason series since 2014, Indiana is now competitive.
So maybe this isn't the best time for the Pacers to trade away some of the key players in their rotation. That will especially be the case if they get hot between now and the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 9.
It won't stop the rumors, though. Myles Turner and Buddy Hield have been featured in trade buzz since the offseason, and that continues to be the case.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors are among the teams that have "shown interest in Turner in recent months." Charania also reported that there have been teams expressing interest in trading for Hield since the season started.
How serious is Indiana about potentially moving either, though?
"The Pacers are expected to continue to have an open mindset regarding the trade market and are not ruling out anything as part of their direction," Charania wrote.
Recent developments with Turner may seem to indicate a trade involving him could be unlikely. Indiana has "opened up contract extension discussions and are exploring a potential new deal" with the 26-year-old center, per Charania, who shared there have also been conversations with Turner's agent, Austin Brown of CAA Sports.
The NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement prevents extensions from being signed between March 1 and June 30. So if the Pacers don't work out a new deal with Turner before that period, he'll become an unrestricted free agent at the start of the upcoming offseason.
It wouldn't be wise for Indiana to allow that to happen. Turner, an eight-year NBA veteran, has been a consistently strong presence in the post for the Pacers throughout his career. The 6-foot-11 standout likely has plenty of productive seasons ahead of him, too.
Charania reported that Turner's extension talks are "still at an initial phase," but Indiana should try to get something done before March 1. Otherwise, there could be a real chance it loses one of its most important players next summer.
If the Pacers want to swing a deal to get even younger or acquire additional draft capital, Hield may be a better choice to move. The 30-year-old guard likely wouldn't yield as large of a return, but he's further along in his career and has been less of a staple for the franchise, having come over from the Sacramento Kings in a trade in February.
Hield is a productive player, and his scoring ability and efficient shooting are great assets for Indiana's rotation. So the Pacers shouldn't just give him away for anything. They need to ensure they're getting better, even if that's for the long term and not the immediate future.
Of course, if Indiana begins to click and goes on a roll in the new year, it may be best to keep both Turner and Hield and try to make a legitimate playoff run. It's possible that could happen, as the Pacers have a strong core featuring those two players, talented point guard Tyrese Haliburton and sixth man Bennedict Mathurin.
So Indiana is right to be open to trade discussions (especially those involving Hield), but its best move may be to not make any drastic changes to its roster. The Pacers have assembled a solid team, and they may already be in a position to have success.
