After the Indiana Pacers Play the Los Angeles Lakers On Monday, Crypto.com Arena will be open. Myles Turner You might be ambivalent about flying on the team plane rather than staying in L.A.
After trade talks between the Pacers & Lakers failed just before training camp, last month saw a halt to all negotiations. Turner took the rare tactic of publicly lobbying For the teams to review the deal.
Turner replied to a question about a possible swap for a guest player on “If I'm a Lakers player, I take a very serious look at it with the position that I'm in.” ESPN's “The Woj Pod” with Adrian Wojnarowski. “I know what I can offer a team — my leadership and shot-blocking skills, as well as my 3-point ability, and my ability to make plays on court.”
Turner and the shooting guard were part of the proposed trade Buddy Hield Sending point guard at the L.A. Lakers and Lakers Russell Westbrook Multiple sources claimed that draft capital was returned by the Lakers, but it fell apart after they backed out.
Sources say that the Lakers decided to give up both their 2027 & 2029 first-round picks — their only future assets in draft — for a haul that wouldn’t indisputably propel themselves to contender status.
The Lakers also believed that the Pacers deal would remain in force should they reengage, according to sources.
The Pacers (11-8), Lakers (7-11), will be meeting Monday (10:30 p.m. ET: Here are five questions for L.A. as it considers whether or not to make a deal.
When is this possible?
Wojnarowski reported that L.A. would wait until Thanksgiving before upgrading the Lakers' season. Sources said that there were three reasons for this timing. Rob Pelinka, Lakers vice-president of basketball operations and general manger, wanted to assess how the group, which included six players from last year's team, looked. He also wanted Darvin Ham to get the chance to reinvigorate Westbrook and was not looking to be desperate with early-season trading talk.
An adjusted timeline for L.A. is what the situation stands now. Sources said that Lakers expect more teams to come forward to them for trade talks after December 15, when contracts signed during the summer will be eligible for moving. However, there are not many trade opportunities, as league business slows down around the holidays. Therefore, it is unlikely that any activity will occur before mid-January.
With the Pacers still looking like a playoff team in the Eastern Conference, it is possible that Indiana's current attitude on unloading talent for future flexibility changes as the season progresses. Herb Simon (real estate mogul and owner of the Pacers) is 88 years. The majority of league governors value championships more than anything else, and would prefer to rebuild teams over mediocrity. However, the Lakers don't believe Simon would destroy a winning team in order to make room for the No. Sources say Victor Wembanyama is the No. 1 draft prospect. He prefers to have a strong group of players in his fall years.
What would Turner and Hield bring?
The Lakers rank 28th among the league's 3-point percentage (31.9), driven primarily by a league wide-open 3-point shooting percentage and a catch and shoot 3-point shooting percentage, which also rank 28th according to Second Spectrum tracking.
Their wide-open 3-point rate, which is defined as a shot taken when a defender is within 6 feet of the player at release time, is historically low — if they had a 31.9% mark on wide open 3s sticks, that would be the lowest team record since 2013,-14 when player tracking began.
Hield could help to fix that. He ranks sixth in the league for 3-pointers made per match (3.8). He is also second in catch-and-shoot 3-pointers per game made, behind only Klay Thompson, ranks among the top five for accuracy in wide-open 3s.
Hield could enable the Lakers to get even more from Hield LeBron JamesHe has assisted on the most number of 3s in NBA History. His Lakers teammates are currently shooting 22.9% for wide-open 3-pointers off of his passes. This is the worst percentage of any passer who has created more than 40 wide-open 3-point opportunities this season, according Second Spectrum.
Turner is currently in a contract season and is posting career-best scoring numbers (18.2 points), 3FG% (43.1), 3FG% (43.1), 4FG% (82.9), FT% (82.9), and rebounding (8.1) per match. After sustaining an ankle injury, Turner has been able to play in 14 of the 19 Pacers games.
Lakers defense allowed opponents to shoot 68% at rim in November. This is seventh worst in the league. Turner can also help. The 26-year old is averaging 2.8 blocks per games, which is the highest average in the league. He has also been the league leader in this category twice in his eight seasons.
And he would. Anthony Davis To continue playing inside, where it is most enjoyable, with his range starting from deep.
Is Westbrook still an issue for L.A.
His contract is. The Lakers are short of reliable players. Westbrook's contract worth $47.1 million can be converted into two rotation players. This will allow them to get closer to the depth required for a postseason run.
Westbrook's reserve record of 15.7 points per game and 8.1 assists has been a bright spot for the Lakers this season. After struggling last year, Westbrook is now the leader of the second team.
Some of Westbrook’s decisions have been second-guessed, notably by Davis after a loss against the Kings on Nov. 11, which dropped the Lakers down to 2-10. Davis said that he had a couple of'my bads” at the end the first half and the Lakers went on a 14-5 running. Davis was referring specifically to the rough stretch the point guard made when L.A. lost its momentum heading into the halftime break. “There are moments when it is impossible to have'my goods.' Westbrook shoots a career worst 39.4% from the field. He also has the league's seventh-worst turnover ratio and is playing the least amount of time than anyone in the top 10.
Ham, who changed Westbrook's position from starter to sixth man five games into the season has continued to champion the 15-year-old veteran ever since.
Ham stated that he loves what Westbrook is bringing to the table. “Just him being Russ, and being able to orchestrate. Dominance of the ball, control the pace, and you're free to play.
If the Lakers are going to make James a better player this season, as Pelinka indicated that he was aiming to do over the summer to be the “caretaker to LeBron’s legacy”, then Westbrook's contract will need to be included.
What are your concerns?
Let's first discuss Turner's availability. Because of ankle and foot injuries, he has only played in 89 of the 154 Indiana games over the past two years. This is not a reliable insurance policy should Davis be injured.
Sources say there were other questions that the Lakers' front office considered before evaluating the trade, which made it difficult for L.A. to go all in. These questions include:
Is Turner or Hield clear-cut candidates for L.A.'s final lineup in a playoff match?
If the opponent was small, would Turner be able stay on the court?
Ham would trust a wing that Ham believes in, or would Hield be able to provide enough defense? Austin Reaves Oder Troy Brown Jr. You can find more information at this location.
Also, recalling the franchise trades for Dwight Howard (free-agent-to be) in 2012 Dennis Schroder In 2020, would it be worth risking valuable future draft capital to buy Turner for what could be only a few short months in Los Angeles if Turner walks like Howard and Schroder?
A trade could save the Lakers' season.
Maybe. Sources claim that leaders within the Lakers' locker rooms believe the team is just a few players away of becoming a legitimate contender. Multiple trades could be necessary to acquire the right players.
It is why attaching both 2027 draft picks and 2029 draft selections to make a deal with Indiana is so important. Pelinka said so on September's media conference. He stated that you only have one chance at making a trade with multiple picks. “So if there is a trade to be made, it has to be the right trade. I'm not referring only one player on our team.
Or, perhaps there's a way to get a deal that includes Westbrook and one or both of the picks. Then, you could use something like Patrick BeverleySalary: $13 million Kendrick Nunn‘s ($5.3million) — The only other contract on the Lakers' books that is substantial enough to be paired together to pay a salary match for a player who has proven his worth — and the other pick to add a player of consequence.
The clock is ticking. Despite improved play of late, 7-11 L.A. is still three points out of the final spot in the Western Conference.
The schedule is not easy, especially with the January timeline in which L.A. expects offers to materialize in mid-January. 15 of the Lakers' 23 remaining games between now Jan. 9 and January 9 will be played on the road, which includes Monday's game against Pacers. The Lakers' current.500 rating is just below 40 games. This is a concern, considering L.A. is currently 2-6 on the road. Would it be worthwhile to leverage the future to invest in this group?
Should the Lakers continue to play the current season with the same roster, but use the salary-cap space to sign players free of charge in the summer. They can also explore trades with picks that are available after draft night, when the Lakers will have their 2023 first-rounder available for them to trade?
Lakerland is still grappling with many questions.
