Indiana Pacers: 3 players not likely to return in 2020-21

1. Myles Turner

The Myles Turner trade speculation is expected to be in full swing this offseason. He may be one of the most valuable trade chips in the entire league.

Turner is now in his fifth season with the Pacers and he has developed into a solid modern NBA big. This season, the former first-round pick is averaging 11.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 33.6 percent from three. Those numbers are down from last season, though.

The big man is expendable because of the emergence of Domantas Sabonis. The two may have been running side-to-side in recent years, but Sabonis has now proven to be the better scorer and rebounder of the two, even making his first All-Star Game this season. Making it work with both big men on the court isn’t impossible, but it’s also an experiment the Pacers aren’t in a financial position to afford.

Ahead of the 2018-19 season, Turner signed a four-year, $80 million extension that kicked in this season, slated to pay him a guaranteed $72 million through the 2022-23 season. Sabonis signed a similar extension that kicks in next year, although it’s for $77 million.

When push comes to shove, the Pacers are going to choose Sabonis. Finding a trading partner for Myles Turner is of the utmost priority this offseason to free some cap space.