The Indiana Pacers will trade Myles Turner
Having won 10 of their last 12 games, the Indiana Pacers are clearly playing at an entirely different level right now compared to how much they struggled at the beginning of the year. This is a team that has that look of a potential dark horse threat in the Eastern Conference, perhaps similar enough to the team that made a surprising run to the conference finals a year ago. But even though the Pacers are playing much better of late, that doesn't mean they don't have some serious questions to answer about their future.
Because of that, it could make for an intriguing trade deadline for Indiana. Having built this team on the back of Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton, it's only natural to question whether the right supporting cast is in place heading into the future. The Pacers are a good team but if they want to compete for a championship in the East, you'd have to imagine this is a team that is likely going to need to make some additions to their roster at some point in the near future.
That's not necessarily a knock on this team's current supporting cast; that just goes to show how much star power matters in this league. One of the bigger decisions the Pacers will need to make sooner rather than later revolves around the future of Myles Turner. In the final year of his contract, Turner will have the opportunity to test free agency after this season. For a player who is likely going to demand huge offers during the offseason, it's far from a foregone conclusion that the Pacers will be able to pay him.
With Siakam and Haliburton already on the books for huge salaries in the future and with the probability that the Pacers will also have to pay Bennedict Mathurin soon, Turner could end up being a cap casualty for the team. At some point, Indiana will have to cut some salary. Heading into this year's NBA Trade Deadline, I predict the Pacers will end up moving on from Turner because they don't see a clear path toward re-signing him during the offseason.