NBA Trade Rumors: Pacers could still trade Myles Turner despite extension talks

NBA Trade Rumors: The Indiana Pacers could still end up trading Myles Turner at the trade deadline despite contract extension talks.

The Indiana Pacers have been somewhat of a pleasant surprise in the Eastern Conference. At 21-18, the Pacers are tied for sixth in the conference standings and have the look of a team (if they remain somewhat intact between now and the NBA Trade Deadline) that will probably make the postseason.

But in the next few weeks, all eyes will be on the Pacers as they figure out how to hand the trade deadline with two big-name and highly coveted targets, Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, on their roster.

Will they stand pat and make a push for the playoffs or try to trade one or both of them in an attempt to secure their long-term potential? And after it was reported that the Pacers and Turner were holding contract extension talks, it seemed like we knew the answer to that question.

However, another report suggests that not so fast. According to this recent report, if the Pacers and Turner don’t come to a contract extension agreement before the deadline, Indiana will likely finally trade him.

An extension between the Indiana Pacers, Myles Turner likely gets done

At this point, with as many times as the Turner trade rumors have lived and died, you have to assume that an extension between the two sides is going to get done at some point. If the Pacers wanted to trade Turner, they probably would’ve traded him by now.

And with the strides that he’s shown in his game since the departure of Domantas Sabonis, and especially this season, Turner has more than proven his worth to the team. If the Pacers aren’t going to get a huge haul for Turner, he should be given a contract extension. And with how impressive Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin have looked this season, it’s not outrageous to sell the franchise on giving a 26-year-old thriving center an extension.

And it’s hard to imagine the Pacers trading Turner just for the sake of trading him when he’s having the best season of his career thus far, averaging 17 points and eight rebounds on 56 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent shooting from 3-point range.

If I was a betting man, I’d have to imagine that an extension gets done before he gets traded at the deadline.