Pelicans should target Indiana’s Myles Turner to replace Anthony Davis

With Anthony Davis‘ departure coming, the New Orleans Pelicans will need a new rim protector. Indiana’s Myles Turner could be an attainable option.

Despite the New Orleans Pelicans having some insane luck in the NBA Draft Lottery to secure the #1 overall pick and the rights to Zion Williamson, Anthony Davis still remains unswayed in his desire to move to California. If and when AD is traded, the Pelicans will desperately need a new big man to lock down the paint. It just so happens, the Indiana Pacers have a talented young big that they might be looking to shop in the near future. Introducing, Myles Turner.

For the uninitiated, Myles Turner is a 23 year old center who just wrapped up his fourth season in the pros. Turner left the University of Texas after just one season to declare for the NBA Draft. Despite some concerns league-wide about his awkward running gait and the potential for future injury because of it, the Indiana Pacers took a chance on him with the 11th pick in the lottery in 2015.

Turner came into the league and was immediately able to make an impact on his team, starting 30 games in his rookie season. Since his rookie year, he’s shown growth and polish in most areas of his game as he inches closer and closer to his prime.

Myles, first and foremost, is known for his defensive presence in the paint. As we know, Anthony Davis is very strong in this area as well, so the New Orleans Pelicans will need a new body to fill the void that AD leaves whenever he’s dealt away. Myles Turner would be perfect for this. While blocks aren’t the end-all, be-all when measuring a player’s defensive abilities, it’s definitely impressive that Turner was able to lead the league in Total Blocks and Blocks Per Game in the 2018-2019 season.

It’s more than just swatting away shots for Turner, however. His defensive instincts are great, he’s rarely out of position, and he alters every shot that comes his way, whether or not he actually gets his hands on it. Even elite slashers have to respect Myles’ presence, with guys like Kyrie Irving mentioning that his “eyes light up” whenever Myles is on the bench, because it means he actually has a chance to get to the rim.

On offense, Turner is less of a weapon, but still has tons of potential. And still at the young age of 24, there’s no reason to think he won’t keep improving in this area as well. This season, he put up about 13 points per game for the Pacers. Most impressively, he shot the three ball around 39%, which is excellent for a center. He’s a young, modern-day Stretch 5 that has tons of value. Oh, and he can also do this:

Indiana could be interested in moving Myles Turner because they have an overabundance of starting-caliber centers with Domantas Sabonis on the roster as well. Instead of figuring out how to play both guys enough minutes (and keep them both happy financially), it might be better for the Pacers in the long-term to ship one of them away while their values are high in order to secure a player that fills a bigger position of need.

So now the question is, “What gets a deal like this done?” Well, a Jrue Holiday-focused trade makes some sense. While it wouldn’t be a popular idea in New Orleans per se, if Anthony Davis is leaving town, it might be best to surround Zion with as many young, talented players as possible as opposed to players like Holiday whose primes won’t match up with Zion’s. Indiana needs a win-now type guard to pair with Oladipo, so there are mutual benefits both way.

The other option is to craft a three team deal between New Orleans, Indiana, and someone else that returns an appropriate asset or two for the Pacers in exchange for Turner coming to the Big Easy. The typical teams with major assets that have been in most of the Anthony Davis rumors to this point make the most sense; teams like the Celtics, Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, and Nuggets. Involving a third team makes things trickier, but it’s worth exploring if a good deal can be created that way and Jrue still remains on the Pelicans in the end.

Just trying to get as many high-value assets back as possible for Anthony Davis isn’t all that matters for the New Orleans Pelicans. There’s a little more nuance to it than that. While you want as many good pieces back as a team is willing to give up in a trade, finding players that are good culture and roster fits is crucial as well. For the Pelicans, Myles Turner represents both of these things. The only question is, can David Griffin find a deal out there that works for everyone? If anyone can, it’s him.