NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers, Raptors still pursuing a move for Myles Turner

NBA Trade Rumors: The Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors are still pursuing a move for Myles Turner ahead of the trade deadline.

The NBA’s trade season is about to hit its stride – it generally does in January – and there are plenty of rumors that are already swirling. One of the big-name players that could end up defining the trade deadline is Myles Turner. However, it’s starting to look like he may not end up being moved.

The Indiana Pacers have reportedly opened contract extension talks with Turner. However, there are two teams that are still pursuing a trade for the big man ahead of the trade deadline – the Toronto Raptors and the Los Angeles Lakers.

These are two teams that have been linked to Turner in the past. For one reason or another, the Pacers have yet to find the right deal for Turner. He’s a player that has been rumored to have been available on the open trade market for about a year.

He’s still with the Pacers and with less than two months before this year’s trade deadline, there’s at least a non-zero chance that he could end up re-signing with the Pacers instead of finding his way to a new team.

Are the Indiana Pacers pivoting to a run toward the playoffs?

With this recent bit of news, you can’t help but wonder if this means that the Pacers are pivoting toward a push for the playoffs. Right now, the Pacers are 16-16 and just outside the top 8 in the Eastern Conference. With how many of the teams in the East are currently struggling, it wouldn’t at all be surprising if the Pacers figured out a way to sneak into the Play-In Tournament.

Even more so if they elect to keep Buddy Hield and Myles Turner beyond the trade deadline.

The Pacers are an interesting team in the East. They have two really strong young players in Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin. Hield and Turner have also been two really good players for the team this season too.

I’m sure the Pacers would be open to trading one or both of Hield and Turner if the right deal presented itself at the deadline. At the same time, it’s pretty clear that the team is also open to keeping the team together for, at least, the remainder of the season.