Pacers' Myles Turner Ideal Mavs Offseason Trade Target?

The Mavs must find a way to improve defensively this offseason. Would Myles Turner be an ideal trade target to get it done?

The Dallas Mavericks face a busy summer ahead after going from making a Western Conference Finals run to failing to qualify for the play-in tournament. Kyrie Irving and Christian Wood are set to be free agents. It also remains to be seen if and where they will pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

In terms of short-term improvement, the Mavs' best outcome would be to benefit from favorable outcomes at the NBA Draft lottery, then leverage their first-round pick as a trade asset. Dallas would need its pick to stay within the top 10 of the draft order, or it'll convey to the New York Knicks.

When identifying the ideal offseason trade target for each NBA team, Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes selected Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner for the Mavs. Dallas will surely emphasize achieving improvement defensively this summer and such a move would help.

After the Pacers traded Domantas Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings at last year's midseason deadline, Turner has thrived filling a more traditional center role. He had primarily been utilized as a floor spacing four that rarely had actions ran for him when playing alongside Sabonis, then would fill some solo-big minutes in plug-and-play stretches, but it was limiting. 

Turner provided the Pacers with career-best production playing alongside an elite facilitator in Tyrese Haliburton, averaging 18.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in 29.4 minutes per game. He was highly efficient as he shot 54.8 percent from the floor and 37.3 percent from 3-point range.

Assuming that Irving is re-signed, there will be enough firepower between him and Luka Doncic but defense remains an area that has to be addressed. Turner, one of the NBA's elite defensive anchors, has become a popular trade suggestion as a result.

In terms of constructing a trade package to get a deal done for Turner, the suggestion was for the Mavs to include their 2023 first-round pick along with Davis Bertans and one of Jaden Hardy or Josh Green. The general template for a trade of this nature checks a lot of boxes.

Managing to move off of Bertans' contract would be a helpful benefit of such a trade idea. While parting with a young player isn't an ideal outcome, having to part with multiple first-round picks would be another element that the Mavs should view favorably. 

The results certainly could change after a full offseason and training camp to get to work, but Green clearly struggled playing alongside Irving and Doncic. Given that he's undersized for a starting wing, perhaps the best course of action for short-term results would be to include him in a trade? 

With Turner earning $40.9 million over the next two seasons, he is signed to a very favorable contract, which only adds to his trade value. However, he cannot be dealt until July 29. It could make a trade package featuring their 2023 first-round pick more complicated. Acquiring his Bird rights before his next contract in 2025 would be another benefit. 

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