NBA Rumors: Mavs Viewed as 'Favorite' For Myles Turner Trade

Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner continues to be linked to the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the NBA trade deadline.

The Dallas Mavericks appear to be one of the more active teams seeking to make an upgrade ahead of the NBA trade deadline. A commonly featured rumor has Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner tied to Dallas.

According to Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus, several rival NBA executives view the Mavericks as the 'favorite' to acquire Turner. 

Several competing executives (assuming Turner's injury isn't severe) believe the Mavericks are the favorite for Turner with Powell and one of Finney-Smith or (Jalen) Brunson. Dallas' willingness to part with Finney-Smith or Brunson may come down to each player's free-agent expectations.

Something to take into consideration here is the health of Turner’s foot. Turner is currently out getting a second opinion with what the Pacers are calling ‘foot soreness.’

It does seem as though ‘second opinions’ lead to the most favorable of outcomes when it comes to injuries. A potential fracture could result in Turner being sidelined perhaps beyond the NBA All-Star break. That could potentially impact his trade price.

Turner is under contract through the 2022-23 season, and it's now been arguably three seasons of rival teams understanding the Pacers' need to break up their frontcourt. Does Indiana really want to carry this situation out heading into the offseason when he'll be entering a contract year?

If the top priority for the Mavericks would be to have Turner available for the playoffs and are willing to sacrifice depth in the short-term, then it's certainly worth exploring a trade. 

It's more challenging to find a secondary creator like Jalen Brunson than it is to find a serviceable wing that can space the floor and defend, so perhaps involving Finney-Smith in a trade would be the simpler outcome to navigate for the Mavericks going forward.

It was recently reported by Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer that Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was Finney-Smith's 'biggest advocate' during his time with the Mavericks and could add to his appeal as a trade option for Indiana as the team seeks shooting and wing impact.

One of the concerns with moving Finney-Smith is how it could negatively impact the Mavs’ much-improved perimeter defense. A trade target like Turner is an elite rim protector, though, and would raise the floor of Dallas’ defensive unit.

As with all trades, you have to give something of value to receive something of value. We’ll see how the Mavs balance that in the coming weeks.