NBA Rumors: Potential Knicks Trade For Myles Turner Features Sophomore Standout

Reports recently came out that the Indiana Pacers were willing to go into a soft rebuild, and the New York Knicks may just have the ideal trade for them.

SNYtv’s Ian Begley disclosed that the Knicks were very much interested in acquiring shot-blocking big man Myles Turner during the offseason, but no deal materialized as they were just exploratory talks.

Begley did not disclose any other information regarding which Knicks players would have been sent to the Pacers in exchange for Turner at the time since it was just exploratory in nature.

Going after Turner would mean that the Knicks need to part ways with at least one or two of their big men, but since the Pacers are in it for a soft rebuild, Indiana would expect a combination of picks and players.

Using the ESPN Trade Machine to see the most viable trade package for both parties, it turns out that this trade just might work in real life.

Knicks receive: Myles Turner and Indiana’s own 2027 first-round pick

Pacers receive: Kevin Knox II, Obi Toppin, Taj Gibson, 2022 first-round pick (via Charlotte) and New York’s own 2022 second-round pick

Free agents signed in the offseason can be included in trades starting next Wednesday, December 15, which explains why Gibson has his name up there--as well as it clears up their logjam with the bigs.

Should the Knicks pull the trigger on the trade, Turner certainly improves their defense as he is the league leader in blocking shots, closing the door 2.8 times per game this season.

Turner is on pace for a career-high in shooting the ball from deep as he is currently averaging 39.5 percent from deep, on 1.8 makes out of 4.6 attempts.

Knicks fans may feel iffy regarding trading away Toppin since he is starting to find his groove at the Madison Square Garden, but he still might be a few years away from reaching his full potential and Turner fills a need in the frontcourt.

Bagley notes that Turner’s contract is set to expire in the summer of 2023 that will make him an unrestricted free agent, but the Knicks may consider giving him a tryout as early as this season in the hopes of convincing him to sign an extension.

Other than Turner, the Pacers are also open to trading Domantas Sabonis and Caris LeVert, but these are two guys that the Knicks should not think of trading for since they really do need to address the defense first.

Mitchell Robinson recently admitting that he gets gassed quickly is not a good sign for the Knicks as they need his elite shot-blocking to keep them in a game.

Giving Robinson competition in the form of Turner should help him up his effort in keeping himself gameday ready while also helping the Knicks reestablish their status as a top team in the East.