NBA Trades: The Hornets need to trade for Myles Turner

What could a potential deal between the Charlotte Hornets and Indiana Pacers look like?

There are many teams reported to have interest in trading for Myles Turner, so the Pacers are likely to either sell to the highest bidder before the deadline on February 10th or wait until the offseason to try and raise his value.

The Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Charlotte Hornets have all expressed interest before and could become realistic destinations.

Here’s what a potential deal between the Hornets and Pacers could look like:

Indiana could be enticed by 23-year-old forward PJ Washington and would certainly value a 2024 first-round pick as they aim to retool the core. Charlotte can also offer a 2022 lottery-protected first-round pick via New Orleans along with plenty of somewhat valuable second-round picks.

Washington, the 12th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, is averaging 9.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 0.8 steals per game while shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three-point territory this season. He’s still a young, versatile big with room to grow.

To make the money work in this trade, the contracts of Mason Plumlee and Nick Richards would be included to serve as salary fillers. Indiana likely wouldn’t value them as long-term pieces, but both Plumlee and Richards are on non-guaranteed contracts heading into the 2022-23 season, so they can dump either one of them after this year without a huge cap hit.

This potential deal would make sense for both the Hornets and Pacers based on each organization’s timeline, values, and interests. The framework will certainly be a realistic possibility heading into the coming weeks.

As we inch closer to the trade deadline, the Charlotte Hornets need to address their issues defensively by pursuing a deal for an elite rim protector like Myles Turner.