Myles Turner Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Rumors: Trades, Beal, Davis, Westbrook, LeBron, FAs

November 11th, 2022 at 7:57am CST by Luke Adams

With the Lakers off to a 2-9 start this season and no signs that a turnaround is imminent, VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and the team’s front office face a difficult decision, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.

As Haynes outlines, the Lakers must decide whether to continue pushing their chips into the middle of the table by making more win-now trades this season or whether they’d be better off waiting until the 2023 offseason to pursue major moves.

Waiting until next summer would mean Russell Westbrook‘s $47MM+ expiring contract would no longer be on the team’s books. It would also put the Lakers in position to trade an additional draft pick, since they could move their 2023 first-rounder (once the Pelicans exercise their swap rights) after the pick has been made.

However, LeBron James has a finite number of high-level seasons left and doesn’t want to waste a year waiting for reinforcements, sources tell Haynes. Other core players on the roster would also prefer the team to make win-now moves, Haynes adds.

As has been reported repeatedly throughout the offseason and into the season, the Lakers don’t want to move their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in a deal that doesn’t significantly improve their chances of contending for a title. According to Haynes, there’s not a universal belief within the club’s front office that acquiring Myles Turner and Buddy Hield from the Pacers would move the needle to that degree.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

The Lakers are “known to covet” Bradley Beal, according to Haynes. However, the Wizards guard just signed a five-year contract with the team that includes a full no-trade clause, so he’d have to ask out of Washington for L.A. – or any other team – to have a shot at him.
As Jovan Buha reported earlier this week, the Lakers aren’t considering trading Anthony Davis, Haynes confirms. However, Haynes hears from sources that the team has received more calls about Russell Westbrook as of late — those talks haven’t advanced beyond the initial stages though.
LeBron James, who was diagnosed with a left adductor strain, has been ruled out for Friday’s game vs. Sacramento, and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter video link via The Rally) hears that James is expected to miss Sunday’s game vs. Brooklyn too. After Sunday, the team is off until next Friday.
In the same video clip, Charania also reports that free agent wings Joe Wieskamp and Tony Snell recently worked out for the Lakers, whose .293 3PT% ranks last in the NBA.

Pacers Rumors: Turner, Hield, Theis, Smith

November 4th, 2022 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on the HoopsHype podcast with Michael Scotto, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files said he believes the Pacers originally intended to move Myles Turner rather than Domantas Sabonis at last season’s trade deadline. However, Turner went down with an injury and an opportunity arose to acquire Tyrese Haliburton using Sabonis, so Indiana jumped at it.

Although Turner remains with the Pacers for now, Agness believes it’s more likely than not that he and Buddy Hield finish the 2022/23 season with another team.

The Lakers have been the team most often mentioned as landing spot for the veteran duo, but Agness thinks Indiana will want to hold firm to its reported asking price of two unprotected first-round picks for Turner and Hield. As Agness notes, the small-market Pacers won’t have forgotten that the Lakers previously tampered with Paul George and won’t be eager to give them what they want.

It’s unclear whether the Nets have any interest in Turner, but Scotto says that general manager Sean Marks recently spoke to Pacers executives Kevin Pritchard, Chad Buchanan, and Happy Walters when the two teams faced one another in a back-to-back set in Brooklyn on Saturday and Monday.

Here are a few more highlights from the conversation between Agness and Scotto:

Agness and Scotto both believe Turner will be seeking at least $20-25MM annually on his next contract, with Scotto citing Atlanta big man Clint Capela as a point of comparison (Capela’s most recent extension was worth $21.5MM per year). Agness, meanwhile, suggests that Turner would like to get more individual recognition for his play – including leading the NBA in blocks per game multiple times – which could be a factor in his free agency decision next summer.
While Turner and Hield are the Pacers veterans most frequently mentioned as trade candidates, Agness says center Daniel Theis should be added to that group too. The veteran center has yet to play for Indiana this season, with the team citing right knee soreness on its injury reports.
According to Scotto, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has referred to Jalen Smith as an “important part of our future.” As Agness details, Carlisle flew to Maryland during free agency to meet with Smith and have dinner with him and his parents.

Pacific Notes: Fox, Davis, Turner, Johnson

November 1st, 2022 at 7:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kings guard De’Aaron Fox will miss Wednesday’s game against Miami but an MRI on his ailing right knee provided relief for the team. It showed a bone bruise but no structural damage and the club is hopeful he’ll return to action soon, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Fox departed after just nine minutes against Charlotte on Monday. He’s averaging 24.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists this season.

We have more news from the Pacific Division:

Anthony Davis‘ lingering back pain tempered the Lakers’ victory on Sunday night. However, he did a workout after receiving treatment on Wednesday and he’s listed as questionable to play against New Orleans on Tuesday, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register tweets.
Should the Lakers finally pull the trigger on a Myles Turner trade with the Pacers? Not until they see how Davis plays through his back issues and how well the team plays with Russell Westbrook coming off the bench, Eric Pincus argues in a Bleacher Report story. According to Pincus, several executives and agents around the league believe the Lakers will eventually cave in and make a deal, most likely with the Pacers, though the Spurs, Jazz and Hornets could eventually surface as trade partners.
Cameron Johnson will be a restricted free agent next summer and the Suns forward, who is now in the lineup, can enhance his value by improving in a number of areas, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. Johnson needs to stay healthy, make impactful 3-pointers and expand his overall game.

Central Notes: Haliburton, Turner, Bogdanovic, Green

November 1st, 2022 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Pacers attempted to recruit Deandre Ayton in free agency this past offseason, Tyrese Haliburton traveled to Santa Barbara, California with president Kevin Pritchard, general manager Chad Buchanan, and head coach Rick Carlisle to be part of the team’s pitch to the Suns center.

Indiana’s four-year, maximum-salary offer sheet for Ayton was ultimately matched by Phoenix, but Haliburton said it “meant a lot” that the club included him in its recruitment of the former No. 1 pick, writes Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. As Fischer details, it’s part of the Pacers’ plan to give the third-year guard the reins during the team’s rebuilding process.

“He is the franchise guy, very, very openly,” one rival executive told Fischer, referring to Haliburton. “They have handed him the keys, and they’re betting he can be their alpha guy.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

After sharing his thoughts on a possible trade to the Lakers, Pacers center Myles Turner wanted to make clear during a conversation with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that he’s still committed to his current team. “I’m excited about what we have here in Indiana,” Turner said. “I understand that some of the things I might’ve said in that podcast (with Adrian Wojnarowski) could’ve gotten misconstrued answering hypothetical questions. This isn’t a hypothetical. I’m here in Indiana. I’ve got real estate in Indiana. I’ve got a fan section in our own arena. I’m a Pacer. I’ve been a Pacer my entire career. I can’t tell the future, but where I’m at right now, I’m very happy.”
Given how much projected 2023 cap room they had, the Pistons essentially did some offseason shopping early by extending Bojan Bogdanovic, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required). Sankofa likes the decision to lock up Bogdanovic, noting that he’s exactly the type of player Detroit’s roster needed.
Bucks rookie guard A.J. Green is expected to be sidelined for about three weeks due to a nasal fracture, the team announced today in a press release. Green, who underwent surgery to repair the fracture, is on a two-way contract with Milwaukee and has just appeared briefly in one game so far this season.

Central Notes: Turner, LaVine, Bogdanovic, Duren

October 31st, 2022 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Appearing on a podcast with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Pacers center Myles Turner said the Lakers should take “a hard look” at a deal that would bring him to L.A. (Twitter link). A trade rumor that simmered for much of the summer had Turner and Buddy Hield headed to the Lakers in exchange for Russell Westbrook and the team’s unprotected first-round picks in 2027 and 2029. The deal reportedly didn’t happen because of the Lakers’ reluctance to part with both draft picks.

“That’s such an intriguing question,” Turner responded when Wojnarowski asked if the Lakers should make the trade. “… 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. 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.”

Wojnarowski recently reported that the Lakers don’t expect to make any trades until at least Thanksgiving, so it doesn’t appear a Turner deal will happen in the immediate future. The Pacers have been managing Turner’s return from an ankle injury, and he has only played in two games so far.

There’s more from the Central Division:

The Bulls could benefit by creating more motion for Zach LaVine, suggests Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, who notes that LaVine has just seven possessions in four games as a shooter after an off-ball screen, Coach Billy Donovan admits he reduced those situations for LaVine last season in response to lingering left knee pain, and LaVine believes they will eventually return as the offense evolves. “We have to look for them. I have to try to look for them,” LaVine said. “And then everybody off the ball has to recognize who we’re screening, who we’re pinning down on. That’s going to be the process of us starting this offense.”
Bojan Bogdanovic‘s two-year extension with the Pistons will pay him $20MM in 2023/24 and $19.03MM in 2024/25, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Only $2MM is guaranteed for the final year, but it will become fully guaranteed in late June of 2024, Marks adds. As we noted in our story on the deal, Bogdanovic remains trade-eligible since his new deal doesn’t exceed the extend-and-trade restrictions (and couldn’t have done so, since he was just traded last month).
James L. Edwards of The Athletic examines Jalen Duren‘s journey from a 13-year-old basketball prodigy to a lottery pick in his rookie season with the Pistons.

Central Notes: Carter, Turner, Queen, Noel

October 26th, 2022 at 6:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

An offseason of intense work helped Jevon Carter win a spot in the Bucks‘ starting lineup, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. With Khris Middleton still recovering from offseason wrist surgery, there was an opportunity for Carter heading into training camp and he was ready to take advantage of it.

“That was on my mind all summer, to come in and prove that I’m more than what I’m looked as,” Carter said. “Just seeing it pay off is a hell of a feeling. I can’t even really describe it. I had a goal and I exceeded those goals, you know what I’m saying? It’s just a credit to the work that I put in.”

The Bucks signed Carter after he was waived by the Nets in late February, and he had the most productive stretch of his career over the final 20 games of the season, shooting 50.6% from the field and 55.8% on three-pointers. That success, and the opportunity to play for a title contender, convinced him to accept a new one-year contract with Milwaukee over the summer.

“Give yourself a new goal, new challenge,” he said. “This my fifth year going into the league, I still haven’t done what I want to do, what’s comfortable for Jevon Carter. Until I get to that point, which I don’t think I ever will, I’m going to keep fighting and grinding.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Pacers center Myles Turner is ready to make his season debut tonight, tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Turner, who missed the team’s first four games with a sprained left ankle he suffered on opening night, will play against the Bulls as long as he doesn’t experience any setbacks during warm-ups.
The Sixers waived Trevelin Queen a week before the roster deadline, giving him extra time to catch on with another team, notes Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (subscription required). The 25-year-old combo guard wound up landing a two-way contract with the Pacers. “I just feel like they really want me here compared to a lot of other situations I was in,” Queen said. “It was a warm welcoming. “I looked at it as a young group of guys, a lot of opportunity and a lot of potential. It’s like a rebuilding process, coach said. So just coming here and taking advantage of the opportunity given. Whether I play or not, I just feel like it’s a great environment, a great culture, a great development staff. They’ve shown me nothing but love.”
Nerlens Noel hasn’t been through a full practice yet, but Pistons coach Dwane Casey believes the veteran center can play a few minutes on Wednesday if necessary, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.

Central Notes: Garland, Osman, Burks, Turner

October 25th, 2022 at 10:19pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Cavaliers All-Star point guard Darius Garland, still dealing with a left eyelid laceration, is not expected by head coach J.B. Bickerstaff to return to Cleveland’s lineup for its contest against the Magic tomorrow, per Kelsey Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link).

“He’s doing stuff on the floor now, breaking a sweat,” Bickerstaff said. “Again, time will tell how far the swelling goes down and how quickly.”

Thus far this year, Garland’s only on-court action has come during the Cavaliers’ opener last Wednesday. He was only available for 13 minutes before leaving due to the injury.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

Cavaliers small forward Cedi Osman is fitting into the niche role head coach J.B. Bickerstaff wants him to fulfill this season, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “I know what J.B. expects of me every night,” Osman told Fedor last Saturday. “Most importantly, he expects energy and defensive effort from me every time I’m on the floor. I’m aware of that. I’m capable of doing it.” Bickerstaff added, “What we have told Cedi is he is not a make-or-miss player,” he said. “He is a two-way impact guy… We will never take him out for missing a shot because he has the ability to be a sparkplug on both ends of the floor.”
Journeyman Pistons shooting guard Alec Burks, still working through a fractured left navicular bone, has been scrimmaging with teammates in three-on-three and four-and-four practices, per Mike Curtis of The Detroit News. Curtis adds that Burks is expected to slot in as a reserve playmaker when he does fully recover. “He’s still a ways away,” Detroit head coach Dwane Casey said. “Not putting a timetable on it. He’s getting some work in, but nothing live.
Pacers center Myles Turner, who has yet to suit up for Indiana while dealing with a sprained left ankle, has had his status upgraded to questionable ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Bulls, per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link). Agness adds that Turner practiced with the Pacers today.

Lakers Notes: Westbrook, Possible Trade Partners, Shooting

October 24th, 2022 at 8:25am CST by Luke Adams

Count Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer among the NBA analysts who believe the Lakers should be feeling some urgency to find a trade involving Russell Westbrook sooner rather than later. O’Connor opens his latest article by dubbing the former MVP a “washed-up bricklayer,” contending that the Lakers need to trade him immediately to have any chance of salvaging their season.

While the much-discussed Pacers package of Myles Turner and Buddy Hield could certainly be one the Lakers revisit if and when they reengage in trade talks, O’Connor points to the Jazz a potential trade partner to watch.

League sources tell The Ringer that before Bojan Bogdanovic was traded to Detroit, the Lakers offered Westbrook, a future first-round pick, and second-rounders to Utah in exchange for Bogdanovic and others. O’Connor adds that sources expect the two teams to reopen their trade discussions at some point, since the Jazz still have veterans who could help the Lakers, such as Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley, and/or Rudy Gay.

As O’Connor notes, the Hornets were viewed back in the spring as a possible trade partner for the Lakers and Westbrook, but that was when Charlotte was preparing to make a lucrative offer to Miles Bridges and was motivated to move off some multiyear salary. With Bridges’ NBA future up in the air due to domestic violence allegations, dumping long-term salary may no longer be a priority for the Hornets.

Here’s more on the Lakers and Westbrook:

The Lakers’ offense lost its rhythm late in Sunday’s loss to Portland when Westbrook checked back into the game, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report and Jovan Buha of The Athletic, who both argue that the team needs to seriously consider taking the point guard out of its closing lineup going forward.
Westbrook was pulled for the final few possessions on Sunday, shortly after he took an ill-advised jumper early in the shot clock with the Lakers up by a point and just under 30 seconds left in the game. After the game, head coach Darvin Ham said he isn’t worried about how Westbrook will respond to being benched for the game’s final 12 seconds. “We don’t have time for feelings or people being in their feelings. Like, we’re trying to turn this thing around,” Ham said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “For one person to be in their feelings about when and where and how they should be in the game, I don’t have any time for that.”
Anthony Davis was “visibly frustrated” after Sunday’s loss, according to McMenamin. “There’s no way we’re supposed to lose this game,” Davis said. “That’s where my frustration comes from.”
The Lakers’ three-point shooting remained an issue on Sunday, as Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times writes in his takeaways from the game. The club’s 6-of-33 (18.2%) mark from beyond the arc on Sunday was its worst single-game rate yet. Through three games, the Lakers’ 21.2% three-point percentage is easily the worst in the NBA — Chicago is second-worst at 29.3%.

Central Notes: Mitchell, Garland, Turner, Bayno

October 20th, 2022 at 3:42pm CST by Rory Maher

Despite dropping their season opener at Toronto on Wednesday, Donovan Mitchell was outstanding in his regular season debut with the Cavaliers, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Mitchell finished with 31 points (on 12 of 21 shooting), nine assists, two steals and was a team-high plus-10 in 35 minutes in the team’s 108-105 loss.

With backcourt mate Darius Garland sidelined due to a lacerated eyelid, Mitchell put his foot on the gas, and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff says it’s nothing new for Mitchell to carry a heavy load.

“He’s comfortable. I think it’s that easy,” Bickerstaff said. “This isn’t something he hasn’t done before. He’s carried teams on his back, so he understands the moment and he’s capable of it. It’s not new. It’s what we expect of him.”

In addition to his on-court production, Mitchell also provided leadership for the Cavs, giving them a positive message in the locker room after the game.

“I told them that this is our first time as a group going against a really tough playoff team,” Mitchell said, per Fedor. “It’s good to win a game but when you have a lesson about fixing this and that, and only lose by three, it’s about finding ways to improve day by day and throughout the game. This was a really good test and I think we’re all pleased with how things went. Obviously pissed off that we couldn’t execute down the stretch. But it’s a game. It’s part of the learning the process.

“The one thing about this group is we fought and competed. When one man goes down, the next guy is stepping up. That’s the road to being a really good team.”

Here’s more from the Central:

Bickerstaff said Garland’s left eye is swollen shut and he didn’t practice on Thursday, tweets Fedor. The Cavaliers are preparing like their All-Star point guard won’t play against the Bulls on Saturday but he hasn’t been officially ruled out yet, Fedor adds. Garland sustained the injury when he was accidentally poked in the eye by Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr.
Sources tell Shams Charania and Bob Kravitz of The Athletic that Pacers center Myles Turner is expected to miss at least a week with his left ankle sprain. Turner says it’s a “typical ankle sprain” and it didn’t impact his foot (he missed the final 39 games last season with a stress reaction in his left foot), per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link). Turner also says he’s “hoping to be able to join the team on the (five-game) road trip,” which is in line with The Athletic’s report. If Turner returns by next Friday at Washington, he’ll have missed five total games with the injury.
Pistons assistant coach Bill Bayno underwent successful prostate cancer surgery on Tuesday and will be away from the team recovering for the next four-to-six weeks, Detroit announced. Bayno has been an assistant with the Blazers, Wolves, Raptors and Pacers in addition to the Pistons. 2022/23 will be his fifteenth season as an NBA assistant. The Hoops Rumors staff wishes Bayno well in his recovery.

Health Updates: LaVine, Garland, Turner, K. Murray

October 20th, 2022 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

After being ruled out for the Bulls‘ regular season opener due to “left knee management,” Zach LaVine told reporters that his absence was simply precautionary and that the left knee he underwent arthroscopic surgery on in the spring still felt fine. However, head coach Billy Donovan offered a different story when he spoke to the media, writes Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago.

“There was a lot of very, very physically demanding practices, to be quite honest with you, coming out of the Milwaukee game,” Donovan said, referring to last Tuesday’s preseason finale. “And I think after a few of those, he felt some discomfort.”

As Donovan observed, the Bulls open the season with seven games in 11 days, so they didn’t want to ride their star swingman too hard out of the gate. LaVine’s absence won’t be “a long-term thing where he’s out for weeks,” according to Chicago’s head coach, who insisted that any discomfort LaVine felt didn’t come as a surprise to the club and is part of the recovery process.

“This is not, to me, anything that is unexpected,” Donovan said. “He’s going to experience, at times, whatever word you want to use, discomfort, soreness, whatever it is.”

Here are a few more updates on health issues from around the NBA:

Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland left Wednesday’s opener in the second quarter after getting hit in the face by Toronto’s Gary Trent Jr. during a steal attempt and sustaining a left eyelid laceration, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “His head and everything was clear,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “But he was cut and bleeding pretty bad from the inside of his eyelid.” According to Fedor, there’s no clarity yet on how much time Garland might miss, but the consensus among those who saw him after the game was that the eye “looked like it was in bad shape.”
Myles Turner‘s ankle sprain isn’t considered serious, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after Wednesday’s game, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link). It’s still unclear when Turner will return to action after missing Indiana’s opener on Wednesday, but it sounds like the team isn’t expecting it to be a long-term issue.
Kings rookie forward Keegan Murray cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Wednesday and was in attendance at shootaround, though he didn’t play in the team’s season opener, tweets James Ham of ESPN 1320 Sacramento. Murray should be ready to make his regular season debut soon, after he clears the necessary conditioning benchmarks.