Los Angeles Lakers: The potential trade package to land Myles Turner
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers’ trade package for Myles Turner:
It is important to note that Myles Turner has two more years under contract. He is paid $17.5 million in each of the two seasons, making him one of the more cost-controlled trade options on the market this offseason.
Sure, that might be a tad bit pricy for a center but with how good of a fit he would be on the Lakers, you absolutely can talk yourself into the Lakers paying this much for Turner. This also allows the Lakers to package their two young assets together without adding more players.
I know, it is not popular to recommend that the Los Angeles Lakers trade Talen Horton-Tucker but you have to understand the mindset that the Lakers are in. This is a team that wants to win a championship and has a 36-year-old superstar as its best player. The title window is not as large as fans may think and trading THT is definitely a possibility.
The Lakers are not going to outright dangle THT out in every single trade but they will not hesitate to move him in a deal that makes sense. This deal makes sense for the Lakers.
Horton-Tucker is a restricted free agent this offseason and in this deal, we assumed he signed a three-year, $22.5 million contract. That pays him $7.5 million per season and brings the total trade return up to $20.5 million in salary, which works with Turner’s $17.5 million in salary.
The Lakers also ask for a second-round pick in return, even if it is way late in the draft, to at least have something in play for the 2021 NBA Draft. This could be something that is even agreed to after the draft with the two sides agreeing to flip young prospects, or it could happen in principle before with the Pacers telling the Lakers who to pick at 22 and vice versa.
Regardless, this is the best trade package the Los Angeles Lakers have to offer. Let’s break down why the Lakers would say yes and why the Pacers may say yes as well.