Tag: Myles Turner

Pacers center Myles Turner loves watching Houston’s Alperen Sengun

“I like the way he plays, and I like the way he carries himself,” Indiana’s Myles Turner tells @ScoopB regarding second-year #Rockets center Alperen Sengun. “His court vision is crazy.”

The Rockets will likely have significant salary cap room in 2023, and longtime Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner has been speculated by some as a potential Houston target in free agency. Turner is a pending free agent, and he has Texas roots.

The argument against signing Turner, however, is Houston already has a promising player at center. At 20 years old and in just his second NBA season, Alperen Sengun is averaging 14.4 points (53.8% FG), 9 rebounds and 26.9 minutes per game.

While the 26-year-old Turner is the better player, especially as a shot blocker, it’s certainly possible Sengun closes that gap in the years ahead. If that happens, one person who might not be entirely surprised is Turner himself.

In a new interview with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson” of Bally Sports, Turner identified Sengun as one of his favorite players to watch in the entire NBA. Among his comments:

I like the kid from Houston, Alperen Şengün. I like the way he plays, and I like the way he carries himself. His court vision is crazy, and so he’s one of my favorite guys to watch.

Sengun had 11 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in Houston’s home loss against Turner and the Pacers on Nov. 18. The Rockets will make their visit to Indiana on March 9.

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Takeaways: Eric Gordon scores season-high 24 points, but Rockets collapse vs. Pacers

Eric Gordon scored a season-high 24 points, but the Rockets blew an early 20-point lead in an offensively challenged home loss to Indiana. Kevin Porter Jr. sat out with a sore back.

HOUSTON — In the opener of a four-game homestand, the Rockets blew an early 20-point lead in Friday’s 99-91 home loss (box score) to Indiana. The Pacers won for the fifth time in six games to improve to 8-6, while the Rockets fell to an NBA-worst 3-13.

Eric Gordon scored a season-high 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting (47.1%), and he also had 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Unfortunately, the veteran didn’t have much help on offense, with Jalen Green (20.0%), Jabari Smith Jr. (28.6%), and Alperen Sengun (30.8%) all struggling from the field and Kevin Porter Jr. out with a sore back.

Veteran big man Myles Turner had 17 points (62.5% FG) and 4 blocked shots for the Pacers, with his interior presence serving as a major deterrent at the rim. For the game, Houston shot 20-of-51 from inside the paint (39.2%). Frontcourt partner Jalen Smith had 10 points and a game-high 18 rebounds, along with 4 assists and 3 blocks.

It was a themed night for the Rockets, who debuted new green-and-gold Hardwood Classic uniforms to honor the franchise’s San Diego days while also retiring the No. 44 jersey of Hall of Fame center Elvin Hayes to the Toyota Center rafters at halftime. Hayes was a star player for the Rockets in both San Diego and Houston.

As for the current team, scroll on for highlights, analysis, and postgame interviews. Houston’s four-game homestand continues Sunday night versus Golden State, with tipoff set for 6 p.m. Central.

The Clippers may go after Pacers center Myles Turner

There is another NBA team in Los Angeles that may try to trade for Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner.

The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t the only team that has been interested in Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner.

The Pacers have expressed an interest in letting him go for the right price, and the price for the Lakers has reportedly been Russell Westbrook plus two future first-round draft picks for both Turner and sharpshooter Buddy Hield.

Los Angeles hasn’t said yes, at least not yet, apparently because it doesn’t believe Turner and Hield would move the needle enough.

Now, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, the Lakers’ Crypto.com Arena co-tenants, the Los Angeles Clippers may make a move for the shot-blocking center.

Via Bleacher Report:

“Much has been made of the perceived trade stalemate between the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers, but the Los Angeles Clippers may change the conversation entirely.

“According to multiple sources, the Clippers have discussed targeting Myles Turner in the market.”

The Clippers may need a legitimate center more than the Lakers do. Paul George and crew only have one serviceable 5 on their roster, Ivica Zubac, and he is their only rotation player who is taller than 6-foot-8.

Myles Turner promotes his skills when asked if Lakers should get him

Myles Turner feels he could provide a lot of value to the Lakers in more than one department.

Fans of the Los Angeles Lakers have wanted the team to trade Russell Westbrook for the last several months.

Never mind that he’s still a good player and that he played very well off the bench in Sunday’s win over the Denver Nuggets. Fans simply want him off the team, one way or another.

The Lakers have pitched multiple trades involving Westbrook, and one of the rumored offers they received was center Myles Turner and sharpshooter Buddy Hield for the former league MVP plus two future first-round draft picks.

But L.A. apparently isn’t interested.

When Turner himself was asked if the Lakers should do such a trade, he stopped short of saying yes, but he said they should seriously consider it while promoting his strengths.

Via Lakers Daily:

“Turner was asked an interesting question: If he were in L.A.’s position, would he trade the picks and get the deal done with Indiana?

“‘I think personally, when you look at this business of the league and knowing the landscape of the league, you have to go off your future, right?’ he started. ‘And we all know picks are so valuable in this league, and someone like myself, I’m heading into the last year of my deal, and you want to make sure you’re getting a return for your assets, right? So, if I’m the Lakers, I take a very hard look at this with the position that you’re in. I know what I can provide for a team — my leadership, my shot-blocking, my 3-point ability and just my ability to make plays out there on the floor. … But as far as pulling the trigger, I get paid to shoot, not to make these calls. So, I couldn’t answer that.'”

For the record, while Turner is an impressive shot blocker (he’s averaging 4.5 rejections per game), his 3-point shooting has been overstated by some. While he is hitting 37.5% of his attempts from downtown to start this season, he has shot less than 35% from that distance in each of the previous three years.

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Myles Turner had the best answer on whether the Lakers should trade draft picks for him

What a strange question.

What the heck was Myles Turner supposed to say to this question?

Before he sat down with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Turner probably expected his trade rumors to become a part of the conversation in some way. But there is no way he would have expected the league insider to flatly ask him what he was asked.

During his appearance on The Woj Pod, the big man was asked whether or not the Lakers should trade two first-round draft picks to acquire his services. It’s an unprecedented question that probably caused many fans to raise their eyebrows when they heard it.

Turner, however, was able to answer it must better than anticipated:

“It’s such an intriguing question … When you look at the business of the league and know the landscape of the league, you have to go off your future, right? We all know picks are so valuable in this league and someone like myself, I’m heading into the last year of my deal and you want to make sure you’re getting a return for your assets, right? So if I’m the Lakers, I take a very hard look at this with the position that you’re in. I know what I can provide for a team: My leadership, my shot-blocking, my 3-point ability, and my ability to make plays out there on the floor. I’d take a very long look at it. But as far as pulling the trigger, I get paid to shoot, not to make these calls. So I couldn’t answer that.”

That was an incredibly diplomatic response from Turner, who stayed remarkably poised in a situation that would have flustered many others.

But then again, what was he supposed to say to this one?

“Nah, the 2027 NBA Draft is shaping up to look super nice! There are some middle schoolers out there I’ve already scouted who are hooping for real.”

“Are you kidding? I already sprained my ankle by tripping over a ball boy during practice. You definitely can get me without surrendering both picks.”

“Meh…I’m not sure how well I’d fit with LeBron and Anthony Davis. Plus, I’m not a Klutch client, so it might be kind of awkward.”

Yeah, let’s just say that Turner handled this one as well as he could have.

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Pacers’ Myles Turner is going to miss games after being injured in a pregame collision with a ball boy

You’ve got to watch out for those ball boys.

The Indiana Pacers opened up their 2022-23 season on Wednesday night at home with a hard-fought 114-107 loss to Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards.

Of the many reasons you might be able to point to for the loss, the one that stands out the most is that the Pacers’ star big man, Myles Turner, didn’t play.

The reason? A sprained left ankle.

But when did this happen? Turner finished the preseason healthy and had intentions of playing in Wednesday’s opener. In fact, he even suited up and began warming up.

It was during those pregame warmups that he suffered his ankle injury as he landed on a ball boy who was positioned under the rim.

As much of a fluke as the injury is, it’s common for Turner. The elite shot-blocking center had missed 65 regular-season games over the past two seasons before Wednesday’s opener.

Amidst the constant trade rumors that have surrounded him over the years — including the most recent ones linking him to the Lakers in a potential Russell Westbrook trade — Turner will have to fight the injury bug once again.

Hopefully, this fluky situation isn’t a sign of things to come.

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Pacers season preview: A rare tanking year for Indiana

Throughout most of Indiana’s recent history, they have ranged from a solid to a strong playoff team. Before getting the sixth overall selection in this year’s draft, the highest draft pick they’ve had in the last 30 years was the 10th overall in the …

Throughout most of Indiana’s recent history, they have ranged from a solid to a strong playoff team. Before getting the sixth overall selection in this year’s draft, the highest draft pick they’ve had in the last 30 years was the 10th overall in the 2010 draft. They are now projected to have one of their worst teams in franchise history after pivoting to a full rebuild, and that’s before potentially trading some of their top remaining rotation players.

Below is a preview of the upcoming 2022-23 Pacers season.

Lakers seriously considered trading Russell Westbrook to Pacers

The Lakers held serious discussions about trading Russell Westbrook for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, and they came close to saying yes.

The Los Angeles Lakers spent much of this summer trying to trade Russell Westbrook after the disaster that was their 2021-22 season.

They reportedly had some serious offers, including one from the Indiana Pacers that would’ve netted them sharpshooter Buddy Hield and shot-blocking center Myles Turner for Westbrook and two first-round draft picks.

Fans seemed split on whether it was a trade worth pulling the trigger on. But the Lakers reportedly had serious internal conversations about it.

Via The Athletic:

“On the cusp of training camp, as media day neared and the topic of Westbrook’s uncertain future continued to dominate the conversation around the NBA, sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations say the Lakers’ key decision-makers spent several days engaged in deep conversations about the feasibility of a blockbuster trade with Indiana.

“Vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka, owner Jeanie Buss and senior basketball adviser Kurt Rambis seriously considered sending Westbrook and unprotected first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 to the Pacers for center Myles Turner and guard Buddy Hield, sources said. They held a series of meetings in the days leading up to camp to analyze the possible Pacers deal from every angle, with the views of Ham and Lakers executives Joey and Jesse Buss also being strongly considered in the process. The organization even delayed the midweek news conference for Pelinka and Ham as the debate continued.

“There was much to consider for them all, and there was momentum at times toward a deal going down.

“Do we put both of our chips on the table now or save them for a better deal down the line? Would Turner and Hield be championship difference-makers long term, or would Turner’s looming free agency this summer undermine their big-picture plan?”

Ultimately, L.A. decided against doing the trade, and it is now rolling into the preseason apparently looking to see what happens with Westbrook, a mostly new roster and a new head coach in Darvin Ham.

There is always the chance that different circumstances will stir something within the 2017 league MVP and get him to fit in and be a genuinely positive asset for the team.

The same report from The Athletic also noted the prospect of Westbrook “being traded in the coming weeks and months remains real.” With the Lakers still needing one or two more two-way wings in order to field a roster that at least resembles an imitation of a championship contender, it remains to be seen if they would still consider the offer Indiana made to them.

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Lakers nearly traded Russell Westbrook for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield last week, but they got cold feet

This would have changed everything for the Lakers.

It’s no secret that the Russell Westbrook era hasn’t gone well for the Lakers.

Westbrook has been at the center of trade talks for months now, although nothing has actually materialized. Los Angeles added guards Patrick Beverley and Dennis Schröder this offseason, which created a crowded backcourt and even less room for Westbrook.

According to Shams Charania, the situation was nearly resolved last week when the front office considered finalizing the long-rumored deal for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield with the Pacers.

Ultimately, however, the brain trust for the organization decided to punt on the move yet again (via The Athletic):

“Vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka, owner Jeanie Buss and senior basketball adviser Kurt Rambis seriously considered sending Westbrook and unprotected first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 to the Pacers for center Myles Turner and guard Buddy Hield, sources said. They held a series of meetings in the days leading up to camp to analyze the possible Pacers deal from every angle, with the views of Ham and Lakers executives Joey and Jesse Buss also being strongly considered in the process. The organization even delayed the midweek news conference for Pelinka and Ham as the debate continued.”

Charania reported that the Lakers opted not to do the deal because they wanted to reach a “consensus” and everyone had to have “confidence in the same vision” before agreeing to make the trade.

The decision-makers in question here include Rob Pelinka, Kurt Rambis, Jeanie Buss, Joey Buss, and Jesse Buss. According to Charania, Joey and Jesse have more influence within the organization now than ever before.

Pelinka indicated during a recent press conference that he is willing to trade future first-round draft picks, but the transaction ultimately has to be the right deal.

Until they eventually decide to make the move, however, Westbrook will have a chance to reinvent his game under new Lakers coach Darvin Ham.

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Lakers could get Buddy Hield, Myles Turner for two first-round picks

The Lakers and Pacers have talked this summer about a Russell Westbrook trade that would net L.A. Buddy Hield and Myles Turner.

Just because the Los Angeles Lakers are feeling optimistic about Russell Westbrook doesn’t mean they will not try to trade him anymore.

They have spent the last several months attempting to move him, but to no avail, partly because of their reported reluctance to part with two future first-round draft picks.

Those two future picks seem to be an nonnegotiable prerequisite for any type of Westbrook trade.

One deal that has been discussed is Westbrook and those picks to the Indiana Pacers for sharpshooter Buddy Hield and center Myles Turner.

One NBA reporter says the Pacers would say yes to that trade right now if Los Angeles would give up both picks with no protection.

Via Lakers Daily:

“Zach Lowe indicated on his ESPN podcast “The Lowe Post” (h/t Jacob Rhude) that a member of the Buss family or Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka could make a deal happen if they are willing to reconsider their past stance on the issue.

“‘The one I’ve said I would sleep over if I were a Buss or Mr. Pelinka is trading both picks to the Pacers for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner,’ Lowe said. ‘My best intel right now is if the Lakers called Indiana right now and said “Both picks unprotected,” the Pacers would do that deal, would probably do that deal.'”

Hield would give the Lakers a big dose of the accurate 3-point shooting they badly need. However, he is considered a weak defender, and he has a contract that will pay him about $21 million this year and $19 million next year.

Turner is a truly elite shot-blocker. But even though many have lauded his ability to stretch the floor, he is not the most accurate of 3-point shooters.

In addition, he has been injury prone. He is in the final year of his contract and is reportedly looking for a huge extension that he may not be able to justify.

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