It’s a good Monday morning in Southern California Los Angeles Lakers got their first win of the season on Sunday night.
It took six games, but Los Angeles is now on the winning streak and has a 1-5 record.
While the Lakers seem to be starting to figure out ways to make their current roster work as well as possible, they’ll likely still need to bring in some outside talent if they want to truly contend in the this season.
Certainly, the idea of ​​the Lakers making a deal for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers has been discussed a lot.
A report about a month ago shown that the Pacers would trade both players to Los Angeles if the Lakers included two unprotected first-round picks. Russell Westbrook should probably be included in such a transaction.
In a new development, Turner spoke with NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski about the idea of ​​a trade to the Lakers.
Turner was asked an interesting question: If he were in Los Angeles, would he trade picks and make a deal with Indiana?
Should the Lakers give up two picks? Full audio of Pacers center Myles Turner on The Woj Pod: https://t.co/yP00bwvnMZ pic.twitter.com/GZvSg9BLyp
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 31, 2022
“Personally, I think when you look at this business of the league and you know the landscape of the league, you have to give up your future, right?” – he began. “And we all know that picks are very valuable in this league, and somebody like me, I’m going into the last year of my deal, and you want to make sure you’re getting a return on your assets, right? So when I’m the Lakers, I look at it very carefully from the position that you’re in. I know what I can bring to the team — my leadership, my shot blocking, my 3-point ability and just my ability to play out there on the floor. … But as far as pulling the trigger, I’m paid to shoot, not to make those calls, so I couldn’t answer that.”
This is a very thoughtful response from Turner. Sure, he seems to know his worth, but he’s also aware of all the factors that go into the deal.
Turner and Hield would be extremely valuable additions for the Lakers.
Despite playing in just two games, Turner averaged 16.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and a whopping 4.5 blocks per game this season. While he shot just 38.1 percent from the field, he knocked down 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.
48.8 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from deep for his career. His ability to stretch the floor would do wonders for the Lakers.
Hield also knows a thing or two about stretching the floor. He is a great shooter and will undoubtedly help Los Angeles improve in this section.
The 29-year-old is averaging 17.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game this season while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 44.6 percent from three.
Only time will tell if the Lakers acquire Turner and Hield anytime soon.
