The Lakers find a perfect-fitting center in Myles Turner
Heading into the NBA offseason, one of the bigger priorities for the Los Angeles Lakers will revolve around upgrading the center position. After their NBA Trade Deadline move for Mark Williams fell through, finding a rim-protecting center quickly rose to the top of the team's offseason needs. That much was evident as the Lakers were outmanned and out-sized by the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first-round playoff series.
Finding their answer at the center position could be easier said than done. Even when Anthony Davis was still on the roster, the Lakers had difficulty finding a center that they could lean on and use as a defensive anchor. This summer, the opportunity will arise for the Lakers to finally put those questions to bed. And one strong option for Los Angeles revolves around a potential sign-and-trade move for Myles Turner.
Turner is slated to hit the unrestricted free agency market this offseason. Even though there's been growing speculation that the Indiana Pacers are going to do whatever it takes to re-sign Turner, maybe there's a small chance that Turner would want to explore other options. If that does happen, the Lakers could be viewed as a worthy potential landing spot for the versatile center. Turner's skill set, on both ends of the floor, is exactly what the Lakers will be looking for on the open market this offseason.
The Lakers would probably need to move some salary around, but there's a reason to believe that they could manage a path toward a sign-and-trade for Turner. His ability to stretch defenses on the offensive end of the floor and then to protect the paint and operate as one of the best rim protectors in the league adds even more value to him on the defensive end of the floor. If the Lakers could find a way to pull a deal off, Turner could help Los Angeles create one of the more intriguing big 3's in the Western Conference.