Lakers Rumors: Myles Turner Could Be Heading To The Other Crypto.com Arena Franchise

Snooze you lose.

Rumor has it that your Los Angeles Lakers could be facing a new competitor in their ongoing, semi-interested pursuit of current Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner: the Lakers' Crypto.com neighbors, the L.A. Clippers.

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report reveals that the Clippers are looking to shore up their center depth at present, after seeing big man Isaiah Hartenstein walk in free agency to join the New York Knicks. At present, 6'8" forward Nicolas Batum is serving as a small-ball reserve behind starter (and ex-Laker) Ivica Zubac. A trade for Turner could displace Zubac from the starting role. Because Turner is also a solid three-point shooter and is fairly athletic, capable of defending fours and fives, it's possible he is moved to a starting power forward role for the Clips.

The Lakers have long been reported to have significant interest in flipping the $47.1 million expiring contract of sixth man Russell Westbrook, plus a couple of future first-round draft selections, in exchange for Turner and shooting guard Buddy Hield. L.A. is reportedly reticent to attach both its future first-round picks in 2027 and 2029.

From a long-term perspective, L.A. wanting not to move on from what could be a pair of high-lottery draft selections makes plenty of sense in a vacuum, given that the current team looks likely to miss the playoffs, and adding Turner and Hield would probably not elevate the Lakers to title contention. That said, it's pretty bizarre that the Lakers still wanted to extend the contract of 37-year-old All-Star forward LeBron James, who along with Anthony Davis is very much a win-now type of player. Should Los Angeles not want to actively use what assets it still possesses to help build a decent roster around James and Davis, it would behoove the team to move on from both players and recover some of the draft equity it lost when it dealt for Davis in 2019.

If the Lakers actually want to (sort of) compete this year, the Turner/Hield trade seems like one of the best available deals they could make. Losing out on Turner to the rival Clippers would be a pretty bad look for the franchise if it was ultimately going to make a deal, even if it could be the right thing to do at the end of the day.