Pacers’ first game proves Lakers were right to wait for a better trade
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers did not trade Russell Westbrook before the 2022-23 season despite all of the rumors and speculation throughout the summer. Westbrook started the campaign with the team and to say it has been awkward is an understatement.
Perhaps the most talked-about trade for Westbrook this summer was a potential deal with the Indiana Pacers for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner. In this proposed trade, the Lakers would trade Westbrook and two future first-round picks. Both teams considered it but it ultimately never happened.
As bad as Los Angeles looked on opening night with all the help they need, Rob Pelinka and the front office may have been instantly justified by the Pacers’ first game of the season on Wednesday.
While Buddy Hield looked decent knocking down more three-point shots than anyone on the Lakers did against the Warriors, Myles Turner was nowhere to be seen — injuring himself in the weirdest way possible to miss the season opener.
Source: Myles Turner landed on a ball boy’s foot during pregame warmups, leading to tonight’s ill-timed ankle injury. Unfortunate twist after rehabbing to return for Indiana’s season opener.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) October 19, 2022
It is unclear how long Turner will be out of action and it could end up being a small, trivial thing. However, it still hammers home some of the concerns that Los Angeles may have had about sending two future valuable picks for this package.
The Los Angeles Lakers already have one injury-prone big man, Myles Turner would make it two.
Lakers fans are already crossing their fingers every time they watch a game that Anthony Davis won’t leave with some kind of injury and would have to do the same thing if Turner came to the team as well. If AD is the most injury-prone big man in the sport then Turner is not very far behind.
Turner has missed a combined 65 games over the last two seasons for the Pacers, nearly matching AD’s total of 78 missed games.
Trading Westbrook has always been the path to making the team better but would Turner and Hield really make LA a title contender? In the best possible version of things, sure, they could. But how often has the best possible version of Lakers basketball happened?
What if the Lakers sell out these picks for Turner and Hield only for Turner or Anthony Davis to get hurt right after the trade happens? Then you are wasting not one, but two future first-round picks just to have a mediocre season anyway.
As painful as it is watching this team with Westbrook on the roster, the Lakers were probably right to just wait it out and see how the market unfolds, especially with the looming tankathon for Victor Wembanyama.
Myles Turner getting hurt before the season even began was a reminder of that.