16 Players that will likely change teams by the NBA trade deadline

11. Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers

Much like with Atlanta Hawks power forward John Collins, Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner has frequently been mentioned in trade rumors going back several years. This year feels different, however, even with Turner just recently signing a two-year contract extension worth $60 million.

That would prevent him from leaving this summer, and the Pacers were smart to use most of their leftover cap space to boost his salary for this season. Doing so means that they’ll only pay him around $20 million per season for the next two years.

Despite that, Turner is still eligible to be traded by February 9. While he could just as easily stay in Indiana, they just made their best asset even more desirable by ensuring that whatever team acquires him has him locked up under contract until the summer of 2025. There are several teams that are interested in him, including the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Toronto Raptors, and Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers and Pacers previously discussed a deal for Turner that included Buddy Hield for Russell Westbrook, but the Lakers declined to trade their two future first-round picks. The Pacers could always lower their trade demands for the Lakers in hopes of getting them back to the table, or perhaps the Lakers will decide the asking price is worth it now.

Turner should be worth at least one good first-round pick, or for a contender, two. That assumes that the Pacers are willing to take back bad or long-term contracts to help make it worth it. If they are, then Turner could still be traded before the deadline.