Tyrese Haliburton opens up on Pacers teammate Myles Turner promoting himself to Lakers

Last month, Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner seemed to pitch himself to the Los Angeles Lakers during a conversation with NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

Pacers youngster Tyrese Haliburton was recently asked whether that situation “became a thing” in Indiana’s locker room at all. He made it clear that it never became an issue.

“Nah, nah,” Haliburton said to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor. “Not at all. That is something we talked about as a group. Myles addressed it with us. We just move on. It is what it is, and the media’s going to make things bigger than they are. But at the end of the day, who cares? He’s been in trade rumors his whole career. We get that. … I already have been traded. But you understand, you just move on. It’s all a part of this game. Everybody in the locker room, we get along really well. We love playing with each other, cheer for each other, and things like that. So it is what it is. Guys just move on. And whatever happens, decision-makers are decision-makers. We just hoop.”

The Lakers have been linked to Turner for quite some time now. In late September, it was reported that the Pacers would trade both Turner and Buddy Hield to Los Angeles if the Lakers were to send over two unprotected first-round picks.

In late October, Turner was asked a tricky question by Wojnarowski: If he were in the Lakers’ shoes, would he trade the picks and get the deal done with the Pacers?

He offered an interesting response.

“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.”

Turner’s comments to Wojnarowski about potentially getting traded to the Lakers caused a bit of a stir on NBA Twitter, especially since many Lakers fans have been itching for their team to make a trade for months.

Turner and Hield are both having very strong seasons so far for Indiana.

The center is averaging 18.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from deep. As a big who can block shots and stretch the floor, he’d bring a lot to the table for the Lakers.

Hield, meanwhile, is averaging 18.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He’s shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 42.0 percent from 3-point range. He’s the type of shooter the Lakers desperately need.

Los Angeles needs to get its season on the right track before it’s too late. After starting 0-5, the team seemed to be heading in the right direction when it earned back-to-back wins to get to 2-5. Unfortunately, the Lakers have lost three straight games since then and are currently 2-8.

The squad will be in action on Wednesday for a matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers. It’ll technically be a road contest for the Lakers.