Suns Reportedly Declined Myles Turner in Trade Talks

The Suns did not want Turner in a sign-and-trade for Deandre Ayton.

The Phoenix Suns were intent on having center Deandre Ayton stick around. 

Or at least not let him walk for free.

So when the Suns reportedly matched the offer sheet the Indiana Pacers sent (four-years, $133 million), it wasn't much of a surprise. 

Now, Ayton will at bare minimum be in Phoenix through Jan. 15, which is the next time he'll be able to be traded. From an organizational perspective, people such as general manager James Jones might from the acquisition as something they wanted the entire time.

However, the Suns indeed did engage with trade talks prior to the offer sheet, according to various insiders. 

One part of a potential package coming back to Phoenix would have been Pacers center Myles Turner, but the Suns said no thank you. 

There was never a chance the Suns were not going to match the offer sheet. Was told Deandre Ayton is a part of the Suns core going forward. Pacers did inquire about sending Myles Turner to the Suns in a sign and trade but Suns had no interest in Turner.

— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) July 15, 2022

Turner has been heavily involved in trade rumors for awhile now, but this specific offseason isn't exactly the best to acquire him. Although Turner is just 26-years-old, he enters the last year of his contract making $18 million. 

Earlier in June, Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported Phoenix was working on a trade for Turner. 

Last season, he played in 42 games, averaging 12.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and one assist per contest. This past season, his player efficiency rating (PER) was 17.4, which ranked 39th out of all centers in the NBA.

For comparison, Ayton's PER was 21.99 (good enough for No. 13 in the rankings).

Turner is known as a valuable rim protector, averaging at least two blocks per night since the 2018-19 season. He's led the NBA twice in rejections. 

However, the Suns declined his services and opted to keep Ayton around for what many fans hope to be the long-term. 

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