Vibes are good in Southern California on Monday morning, as the Los Angeles Lakers earned their first win of the season on Sunday night.
It took six games, but L.A. is now in the win column and sports a 1-5 record.
While the Lakers are seemingly starting to figure out ways to make their current roster work as well as it possibly can, they will likely still need to bring in some outside talent if they want to really contend this season.
Of course, the idea of the Lakers making a deal for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield of the Indiana Pacers is something that’s been kicked around a lot.
About a month ago, a report indicated that the Pacers would trade both players to Los Angeles if the Lakers were to include two unprotected first-round picks. Russell Westbrook would likely have to be included in such a deal.
In a new development, Turner spoke to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski about the idea of being traded to the Lakers.
Turner was asked an interesting question: If he were in L.A.’s position, would he trade the picks and get the deal done with Indiana?
Should the Lakers give up the two picks? Full audio of Pacers center Myles Turner on The Woj Pod: https://t.co/yP00bwvnMZ pic.twitter.com/GZvSg9BLyp
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 31, 2022
“I think personally, when you look at this business of the league and knowing the landscape of the league, you have to go off your future, right?” he started. “And we all know picks are so valuable in this league, and someone like myself, I’m heading into the last year of my deal, and you want to make sure you’re getting a return for your assets, right? So, if I’m the Lakers, I take a very hard look at this with the position that you’re in. I know what I can provide for a team — my leadership, my shot-blocking, my 3-point ability and just my ability to make plays out there on the floor. … But as far as pulling the trigger, I get paid to shoot, not to make these calls. So, I couldn’t answer that.”
It’s a very thoughtful response from Turner. He certainly seems to know his value, but he’s also aware of all of the factors that go into a deal.
Turner and Hield would be extremely solid additions for the Lakers.
Although he has only appeared in two games, Turner has averaged 16.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and a whopping 4.5 blocks per game this season. While he has shot just 38.1 percent from the field, he has knocked down a solid 37.5 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.
For his career, he’s a 48.8 percent shooter from the field and 34.9 percent shooter from deep. His ability to stretch the floor would do wonders for the Lakers.
Hield also knows a thing or two about stretching the floor. He’s a great shooter and would certainly help Los Angeles improve in that department.
The 29-year-old is averaging 17.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game this season while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 44.6 percent from 3-point range.
Only time will tell if the Lakers end up acquiring Turner and Hield at some point in the near future.
