The New Orleans Pelicans need a center, flat out, plain and simple. They have two starting-caliber point guards between Dejounte Murray and Jeremiah Fears. They have a trio of really high-level wings in Trey Murphy III, Saddiq Bey, and Herb Jones. And they have a legit star at the power forward spot. But the one flaw in the team's starting five and the thing holding this group back from being serious players in the Western Conference next season is the center position.Â
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Yves Missi believer, but throwing him into the starting five to open next season is like sending a lamb to the slaughter. He’s too raw and not ready for all the responsibility that comes with being a starter.Â
Yet I say all this to also say the Pelicans must be picky with the type of centers they target in trades or free agency. One name the front office must avoid at all costs is Milwaukee Bucks starting five man Myles Turner. Sure, on paper, Turner may make sense next to Zion Williamson because of his ability to stretch and space out the floor, but his lackluster rebounding would make his fit shaky.
Turner doesn’t fit what the Pelicans need
New Orleans finished last season 21st in rebounds per game and allowed the sixth most rebounds per game—that alone should be a reason not to trade for Turner. While he shot 38-plus percent from three this past season, he also averaged only 5.3 rebounds per game. Centers like Turner can work when paired with someone like Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is going to be a physical beast and has the size to dominate the glass. But with Zion, who is already undersized and has a career average of 6.4 rebounds per game, the fit would be a nightmare.Â
Although the Kevon Looney signing didn’t work out for the Pelicans, they need to focus on adding a center of that archetype. Someone who understands positioning, rebounds hard, sets screens, and does the little things that don’t show up in the box score. A center who can be a floor spacer shouldn’t be a necessity, but rather an added bonus.
With the Bucks entertaining Giannis trade talks, Turner could likely be out this offseason despite signing a four-year, $107 million contract just last summer. Milwaukee potentially entering a rebuild makes the framework for a Pelicans Turner trade rather simple. New Orleans would probably give up expiring salary in Jordan Poole and the rights to the Bucks' 2027 first-round pick. But if a trade like that were pulled off, it would age like milk for Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver.Â
A trade for Turner would’ve made more sense maybe three offseasons ago when Zion still had all of his bounce, and Turner was pulling in over seven rebounds and blocking 2-plus shots per game. But a move like that now, with him turning 30 and being a massive contract for the foreseeable future, would be a step backward rather than forward.
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