New Orleans Pelicans: Why Myles Turner could fit with Stan Van Gundy

The New Orleans Pelicans might want to check on Myles Turner’s availability with Stan Van Gundy now coaching the team

All offseason there’s been speculation about what the New Orleans Pelicans will do with what I like to call their treasure chest of assets. So far, the answer seems to be nothing because the hiring of Stan Van Gundy indicates the organization is committed to gradual and organic growth.

That was the sentiment that the team’s front office also voiced, but just because the Pelicans organization says something, doesn’t mean the rest of the NBA world will stop speculating. That’s why one idea that keeps cropping up is seeing the Pelicans trade for Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers.

Why does Myles Turner keep coming up? Because it’s clear that he’s the odd-man-out on the Indiana Pacers as he struggles to play with fellow big man Domantas Sabonis.

We’ve already covered several permutations of a potential Myles Turner trade, but since I keep seeing people propose them, I can’t stop thinking that Myles Turner might be a great fit for the Pelicans under new head coach Stan Van Gundy.

Why having Myles Turner play under Stan Van Gundy makes sense for the New Orleans Pelicans

This is solely my opinion, but I think acquiring Myles Turner makes sense when considering Stan Van Gundy and his system.

Starting with the man himself, Stan Van Gundy, who was previously the Detroit Pistons’ President of Basketball Operations was reportedly very fond of Myles Turner in the 2015 NBA Draft. Apparently, the only reason he didn’t select Turner was that the Pistons already had Andre Drummond playing the center position.

Now let’s consider the system, Stan Van Gundy loves running his 4-out 1-in offense that allows floor-spacing bigs and athletic centers to excel. Myles Turner is the perfect combination of both of those archetypes. He’s an athletic center who can attack the basket, but he’s also one of the NBA’s best shooting big men from deep.

Put those two things together, and it just might make sense for the New Orleans Pelicans to acquire Myles Turner. He’s a player that Stan Van Gundy would love to coach and one who can add so much creativity to Van Gundy’s offense.

Just imagine, Turner and Zion Williamson switching off between as the inside man in Van Gundy’s offense. Defenses would be flustered by trying to determine who to stop. Throw in the dynamic scoring and ball-handling of Brandon Ingram too, and maybe the New Orleans Pelicans have the best young frontcourt in the NBA.

Of course, there’s one problem with this scenario, the price. What would the Indiana Pacers want for Myles Turner? If it’s draft picks and young but unproven players then I think it’s a deal worth making, but if the Pacers want Lonzo Ball or Jrue Holiday the deal should be off the table.

I’m entirely for Myles Turner, but the deal has to be for the right price. Deficiencies in speed and rebounding are question marks in Turner’s game that I think Van Gundy could mask, but that doesn’t mean the Pelicans should ignore them. It’s always bad business giving up premium assets for a player with clear and exposable flaws.

I do believe though, that if Victor Oladipo does want out of Indiana and if the Pacers are facing a full rebuild, then maybe acquiring Myles Turner to play with Lonzo Ball, Jrue Holiday, Brandon Ingram, and Zion Williamson could be dangerous with Stan Van Gundy leading the way.