NBA Rumors: Celtics, Pacers Could Explore Trade Centered On Myles Turner, Per ‘Hardwood Houdini’
Despite losing Kyrie Irving and Al Horford this summer, the Boston Celtics still decided to remain a competitive team in the Eastern Conference. Instead of getting younger, the Celtics surrounded Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown with quality players whom they believe could help them contend for the NBA championship title in the 2019-20 NBA season. In the 2019 NBA free agency, the Celtics immediately found replacements for Irving and Horford by signing Kemba Walker and Enes Kanter.
With the core of Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward, and Enes Kanter, most people are expecting the Celtics to make a huge noise in the Eastern Conference next season. However, in order to further strengthen their chance of bringing home the Larry O’Brien Trophy to Boston, the Celtics should continue finding ways to address some of the issues on their roster. According to Mark Nilon of Fansided’s Hardwood Houdini, one of the areas that the Celtics need to improve is their frontcourt.
Enes Kanter may be a reliable scoring option in the paint, but it remains a big question mark if he can defend dominant big men from other Eastern Conference powerhouse teams like Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. If they are serious about winning the NBA championship title next season, Nilon believes that the Celtics should consider trading for Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline.
“Should the Boston Celtics take to the trade market, there is not a single better option than Indiana Pacers center, Myles Turner. Turner could be available by trade given the potential extension looming for Domantas Sabonis, whose talents overlap in the Indiana frontcourt. If the situation arises where Indiana must unload one of their big men, the Boston Celtics should offer the Pacers whatever it take (within reason) to acquire Turner. The 23-year-old fits Boston’s timeline to both contend now and in the foreseeable future. With the Celtics, he would have the opportunity to grow alongside fellow Team USA participants Brown, Tatum and Smart.”
Team USA beats Brazil 89-73 behind 16 points apiece from Kemba and Myles Turner.
USA officially qualifies for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. pic.twitter.com/COyKxrBiAL
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) September 9, 2019
Myles Turner would be an incredible addition to the Celtics, giving them an All-Star caliber big man who could boost their performance on both ends of the floor. Unlike Kanter, Turner can space the floor and is a quality rim protector. Last season, Turner averaged 13.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks while shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from beyond the arc.
What makes him a more intriguing acquisition for the Celtics is his age. At 23, Myles Turner would be a perfect fit with the timeline of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Turner won’t have a hard time making himself comfortable in Boston since he would be reuniting with his Team USA teammates Tatum, Brown, Marcus Smart, and Kemba Walker.
As of now, it remains unknown if the Pacers have any plan of making Myles Turner available on the trade market before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline. According to a previous The Inquisitr article, since the 2019 NBA offseason started, multiple rival teams have been making inquiries with the Pacers about Turner’s availability via trade. However, interested teams reportedly came away with the impression that it would take an “incredibly significant offer” to convince the Pacers to trade Turner.
