Westbrook, Hield, Turner: Five questions to answer before the proposed Lakers-Pacers trade

After the Indiana Pacers play the Los Angeles Lakers connected Monday astatine Crypto.com Arena and proceed connected the roadworthy to Sacramento, halfway Myles Turner mightiness person mixed feelings astir boarding the squad level alternatively of staying successful L.A.

Last month, aft commercialized talks betwixt the Pacers and Lakers fizzled conscionable earlier grooming camp, Turner took the uncommon maneuver of publically lobbying for the teams to revisit the deal.

"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."

The projected trade, which progressive Turner and shooting defender Buddy Hield going to the Lakers and L.A. sending constituent defender Russell Westbrook and draught superior successful return, fell isolated erstwhile the Lakers backed away, aggregate sources told ESPN.

The Lakers decided that giving up some their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks -- the lone aboriginal first-round assets they person successful their draught thorax -- was excessively steep a terms to wage for a haul that wouldn't indisputably propel them to contender status, sources said.

Plus the Lakers reasoned, sources said, the aforesaid woody with the Pacers would inactive beryllium determination down the enactment should they reengage.

With the Lakers (7-11) and Pacers (11-8) acceptable to conscionable Monday (10:30 p.m. ET), present are 5 questions to reply arsenic L.A. considers whether to woody oregon not to deal.

When could this commercialized happen?

When the Lakers started the play 0-5, Wojnarowski reported L.A. would hold until astir Thanksgiving earlier looking to upgrade the team. The reasoning down that timing, squad sources said, was threefold. Lakers vice president of hoops operations and wide manager Rob Pelinka wanted to spot however the radical that was assembled successful the offseason, featuring six players from past season's team, looked together; helium wanted to springiness first-year caput manager Darvin Ham the accidental to bring his imaginativeness for reinvigorating Westbrook to life; and helium didn't privation to travel disconnected arsenic hopeless with early-season commercialized talk, knowing different teams would instrumentality vantage successful immoderate imaginable negotiations.

Where things basal present is an adjusted timeline for L.A. The Lakers expect much teams volition beryllium consenting to prosecute them successful commercialized talks aft Dec. 15, erstwhile contracts that were signed successful the summertime are eligible to beryllium moved, sources said. But adjacent with much possibilities opening up, league concern slows astir the holidays, truthful the likelihood of immoderate enactment earlier mid-January are remote.

Of course, the deeper into the play it gets with the Pacers inactive looking similar a playoff fastener successful the Eastern Conference, the much Indiana's stance connected unloading existent endowment for aboriginal flexibility could change. The Pacers' owner, existent property mogul Herb Simon, is 88 years old. While astir league governors worth chasing championships supra each other and similar rebuilds implicit mediocrity, the Lakers aren't convinced Simon would dismantle a winning squad to vessel for the No. 1 draught imaginable successful Victor Wembanyama, sources said, preferring to bask a competitory radical successful his autumn years.

What would Turner and Hield bring to the table?

The Lakers fertile 28th successful the league successful 3-point percent (31.9), driven by a league-worst wide-open 3-point tract extremity percent and a catch-and-shoot 3-point tract extremity percent that besides ranks 28th, according to Second Spectrum tracking.

Their wide-open 3-point percentage, defined arsenic a changeable taken erstwhile the closest defender is astatine slightest 6 feet distant astatine the clip of release, is historically atrocious -- if their 31.9% people connected wide-open 3s sticks, it would beryllium the worst complaint of immoderate squad successful immoderate play since subordinate tracking began successful 2013-14.

Adding Hield could spell a agelong mode to fixing that. He's sixth successful the league successful 3-pointers made per crippled (3.8). He's besides 2nd successful made catch-and-shoot 3s per game, down lone Klay Thompson, and ranks successful the apical 5 successful accuracy connected wide-open 3s.

Hield could let the Lakers to get much retired of LeBron James, who has assisted connected the astir 3s successful NBA history. His Lakers teammates this play are shooting 22.9% connected wide-open 3s disconnected his passes, which is the worst percent for immoderate passer who has created astatine slightest 40 wide-open 3 opportunities this season, according to Second Spectrum.

And Turner, who is successful a declaration year, is putting up career-best numbers successful scoring (18.2 points), FG% (55.9), 3FG% (43.1), FT% (82.9) and rebounds (8.1) per game. He has played successful 14 of 19 games for the Pacers aft suffering an ankle wounded that sidelined him for the archetypal week of the season.

The Lakers' defence has allowed opponents to sprout 68% astatine the rim successful November, seventh worst successful the league this month. Turner tin assistance there, too. The 26-year-old is averaging 2.8 blocks per game, a class helium has led the league successful doubly successful his 8 seasons.

And helium would let Anthony Davis to proceed playing inside, wherever helium prefers, with his scope from deep.

Is Westbrook inactive a occupation for L.A.?

Not necessarily, but his declaration is. The Lakers don't person capable reliable players and turning Westbrook's $47.1 cardinal declaration into 2 rotation players gets them person to the extent needed for a postseason run.

Westbrook's 15.7 points and 8.1 assists per crippled arsenic a reserve person been a uncommon agleam spot successful the Lakers' season. After struggling truthful overmuch past year, helium has recovered a bushed arsenic the person of the 2nd unit.

Some of Westbrook's decision-making has been 2nd guessed -- notably by Davis pursuing a nonaccomplishment to the Kings connected Nov. 11 that dropped the Lakers to 2-10. "Couple 'my bads' astatine the extremity of the archetypal half, and they spell connected a 14-5 run," Davis said, referring to a unsmooth agelong by the constituent defender erstwhile L.A. mislaid momentum going into halftime. "Certain moments wherever we can't person 'my bads.'" Westbrook is besides shooting a career-worst 39.4% from the tract and has the seventh-worst turnover complaint successful the league, portion playing the fewest minutes of anyone successful the bottommost 10.

Ham, who adjusted Westbrook's relation from starter to sixth antheral conscionable 5 games into the season, has continuously championed the 15-year seasoned since the change.

"I emotion what he's bringing, coming disconnected with that 2nd portion and giving america a boost erstwhile needed," Ham said erstwhile asked, aft James suffered a groin wounded earlier this month, if Westbrook would instrumentality to the starting lineup. "Just him being capable to orchestrate and beryllium Russ. Dominate the ball, predominate the gait and play free."

But if the Lakers mean to upgrade the roster this play astir James to springiness the 20-year seasoned his champion accidental astatine different title run, arsenic Pelinka said was his extremity implicit the summertime arsenic the "caretaker of LeBron's legacy," past it would simply person to impact Westbrook's contract.

So what concerns remain?

Let's commencement with Turner's availability. He has played successful lone 89 retired of 154 of Indiana's games the past 2 seasons due to the fact that of ft and ankle injuries -- hardly reliable security should Davis get deed by injuries, arsenic helium has the past 2 seasons.

play

0:32

LeBron James gets the escaped ball, feeds Russell Westbrook, who gives it backmost to LeBron for the dunk.

There are different questions the Lakers' beforehand bureau considered erstwhile evaluating the commercialized earlier grooming camp, sources said, that near L.A. reluctant to spell all-in. Questions specified as:

Would either Turner oregon Hield beryllium clear-cut members of L.A.'s closing lineup successful a playoff game?

Would Turner beryllium capable to enactment connected the tribunal if the hostile went small?

Would Hield bring capable defensively, oregon would Ham spot successful a helping similar Austin Reaves oregon Troy Brown Jr. much successful that spot?

And, recalling the franchise's trades for free-agent-to-be Dwight Howard successful 2012 and Dennis Schroder successful 2020, is it worthy risking what could beryllium invaluable aboriginal draught superior to get Turner for what could magnitude to lone a fewer months successful Los Angeles if helium walks the mode Howard and Schroder did?

Would the Lakers' play beryllium saved by a trade?

Maybe. There is content shared by leaders successful the Lakers' locker room, sources said, that the squad is lone a mates of players distant from turning this radical into a morganatic contender. But acquiring the close players could instrumentality aggregate trades.

Which is wherefore attaching some 2027 and 2029 draught picks to get a woody done with Indiana is specified a gut check. Pelinka admitted arsenic overmuch connected media time successful September. "You person 1 changeable to marque a commercialized with aggregate picks," helium said. "So if you marque that trade, and I'm not talking astir 1 peculiar subordinate connected our team, but it has to beryllium the close one."

Otherwise, possibly determination is simply a mode to question 1 woody centered connected Westbrook and 1 of the 2 picks, and different utilizing thing similar Patrick Beverley's wage ($13 million) and Kendrick Nunn's ($5.3 million) -- the lone different contracts connected the Lakers' books hefty capable to brace unneurotic to wage lucifer for a proven subordinate -- positive the different prime to adhd different subordinate of consequence.

But the timepiece is ticking. Even with improved play arsenic of late, astatine 7-11 L.A. is inactive 3 games retired of the last play-in spot successful the Western Conference.

And the docket is unforgiving starring up to the mid-January timeline erstwhile L.A. anticipates offers could materialize. Including Monday's crippled against the Pacers, 15 of the Lakers' adjacent 23 games betwixt present and Jan. 9 are connected the road. If astatine that point, astir 40 games into the season, the Lakers are inactive beneath .500 -- a tenable interest considering L.A. is 2-6 connected the roadworthy truthful acold -- would leveraging the aboriginal to determination into this radical beryllium worthy it?

Or should the Lakers play this play retired with the roster arsenic presently constructed, usage salary-cap abstraction to motion escaped agents successful the summertime and research trades involving picks aft draught nighttime erstwhile they volition person the subordinate they selected with their 2023 first-round prime disposable to deal?

For present successful Lakerland, determination stay acold much questions than answers.