Lakers News: Why Longtime LA Trade Target May Stay Put At Deadline

Murky news for Los Angeles.

The Indiana Pacers may still be looking to make deals as the February 9th trade deadline approaches, but unfortunately for your Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana's front office may actually be looking to upgrade its personnel down the home stretch of the 2022-23 NBA season.

Off to a surprisingly strong 23-19 start (good for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference), the Pacers' play has its team thinking playoffs, not lottery, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Fischer writes that Indiana is especially in the market for a long-term fit at the power forward spot next to the extension-eligible Myles Turner.

Though recent reporting had suggested Turner's CAA agents and the Pacers were far apart on extension negotiations, sources inform Fischer that the two sides are now "in fluid extension conversations." The most Turner could fetch from his current club is a four-year, $96.7 million deal. That sum is pretty much in line with what rival executives would be willing to fork over for Turner this summer, Fischer writes.

As Fischer notes, the fate of Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton could throw a wrench in Indiana's postseason hopes, however. Per Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Haliburton departed last night's 119-113 win over the New York Knicks with a left knee, and was seen on crutches exiting Madison Square Garden. Haliburton had been enjoyed a breakout season, and looked on track to make his first All-Star Game next month. The team issued a press release this afternoon, revealing that he has officially been diagnosed with a left elbow sprain and mild left knee bone contusion following some postgame imaging. Indiana noted that Haliburton is set to be re-assessed in two weeks.

Through 40 games with the Pacers this season, the 6'5" point guard had been averaging 20.2 points on a spectacular slash line of .480/.399/.880, 10.2 assists, four rebounds and 1.8 steals a night.

If Haliburton misses extended time, perhaps the Pacers would pivot from this current apparent strategy, and might look to ship out Turner again? The news of renewed extension talks, from a Lakers fan perspective at least, is a bit ominous.

Turner is 26 and could still have room to grow (he's on the fringes of the All-Star conversation now that he's become Indy's full-time five). His sharpshooting teammate Buddy Hield, who along with Turner had been considered an interesting Lakers target, probably is what he is at age 30. Hield has been excellent as a catch-and-shoot long range shooting option for Indiana, but if Haliburton is hurt for a while, perhaps the team would still be amenable to offloading him to LA for a lightly-protected future first-round draft pick, even if Turner does agree to an extension.