Pacers Hoping to Sign Star Despite Trade Interest From Around NBA: Report

Matt Levine | 21 Hours Ago

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers are expected to be active ahead of the trade deadline this season as they try to reclaim their status in the Eastern Conference. Indiana reached the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago and they were seen as a team that could take that next step forward.

However, that hasn't been the case and the Pacers have been one of the more inconsistent teams to open the new year. Indiana has been looking around the trade market for help, especially in the frontcourt.

Behind Myles Turner, Indiana is fairly thin up front. The Pacers have even received trade interest in Turner but have pushed back against that to this point.

Turner has been with the Pacers since Indiana selected him with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. The veteran big man has seen his name be placed into trade talks for years but Indiana has resisted dealing him thus far.

The veteran will be a free agent this summer and he will likely have no short of interest from around the NBA. But if the Pacers have their way, Turner won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Pacers want to re-sign Turner this summer. Turner has been a key piece to what Indiana has done for years and they value him very highly.

"Though Myles Turner is in the final year of his contract at $19.93 million, and teams across the league have always coveted him from afar, the belief is Indiana wants to re-sign him."

If Indiana can keep Turner in place after this season, it would be massive in terms of their overall growth as a unit. Continuity is crucial for a team, especially an up-and-coming one like Indiana.

So far this season, Turner has averaged 15.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game. The big man also has shot 38. 4 percent from beyond the 3-point line this year, one of the highest marks of his entire career.

Turner's ability to space the floor helps the Pacers offense thrive and he unlocks a lot for them defensively. The former Texas Longhorn has established himself in the NBA and seems to have found a nice home in Indiana.

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