Turner: Lakers should take 'hard look' at trade

Although the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers stepped distant from commercialized talks soon earlier grooming campy that progressive Russell Westbrook and draught superior going to Indiana for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, the Pacers halfway says it's a woody that could beryllium worthy revisiting.

"If I'm the Lakers, I instrumentality a precise hard look astatine this with the presumption that you're in," Turner said, responding to a question astir the imaginable swap arsenic a impermanent connected ESPN's "The Woj Pod" with Adrian Wojnarowski. "I cognize what I tin supply for a squad -- my leadership, my shot-blocking, my 3-point quality and conscionable my quality to marque plays retired determination connected the floor.

"And I instrumentality a precise agelong look astatine it. But arsenic acold arsenic pulling the trigger, I get paid to shoot. I'm not paid to marque these calls, truthful I couldn't reply that."

Should the Lakers springiness up the 2 picks? Full audio of Pacers halfway Myles Turner connected The Woj Pod: https://t.co/yP00bwvnMZ pic.twitter.com/GZvSg9BLyp

The Lakers person been reluctant to see some their aboriginal first-round picks successful 2027 and 2029 to upgrade the existent roster with the anticipation of putting LeBron James and Anthony Davis backmost successful presumption to contend for a championship.

"We each cognize picks are truthful invaluable successful this league, and idiosyncratic similar myself, I'm heading into the past twelvemonth of my woody and you privation to marque definite you're getting a instrumentality for your assets," Turner added.

Turner, a 26-year-old halfway successful his eighth play with Indiana, has vocation averages of 12.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game, portion shooting 34.9% from 3. Hield, a erstwhile lawsuit of Lakers vice president of hoops operations and wide manager Rob Pelinka during Pelinka's days arsenic a subordinate agent, has connected connected 43% of his extracurricular shots successful 7 seasons with New Orleans, Sacramento and Indiana.

Even with a 13-for-30 showing from the extracurricular successful their archetypal triumph of the play connected Sunday, the Lakers inactive fertile dormant past successful the league successful 3-point shooting astatine 26.6% arsenic a team. And with lone relation players disposable to play center, Damian Jones and Wenyen Gabriel, Davis has been tasked to play the starting 5, adjacent though helium is battling little backmost symptom and has historically preferred the 4.

Wojnarowski reported earlier this period that the Lakers program to reassess the roster aft astir 20 games and could look to reengage successful commercialized talks astir Thanksgiving.

Turner, who has played his full vocation successful small-market Indianapolis, said joining a marquee squad similar the Lakers would beryllium appealing.

"I conscionable consciousness similar present successful the Midwest we don't get the emotion that I deliberation we deserve. ... It doesn't get taken connected the nationalist level," Turner said. "You are nether the microscope retired determination astatine the West. When you are doing bad, you're going to perceive astir it. When you are doing great, you are going to get a batch of love, particularly with the emotion that the Lakers get.

"I deliberation that different facet that is [appealing is] playing with greatness and playing nether LeBron. I consciousness similar helium demands a definite level of excellency, particularly astatine this constituent of his career. It's conscionable 1 of those things; erstwhile you are retired there, you got to perform. People are going to expect you to spell retired determination and clasp connected to that bequest that the Lakers person built implicit the years."

Indiana has started the play 3-4. The Lakers are 1-5.