To improve their roster enough to win another NBA championship, the Los Angeles Lakers can go in a few directions in this offseason.
One direction is moving Anthony Davis back to the starting power forward position and splitting his minutes between the four and five spots. Doing so would, of course, necessitate having a serviceable starting center.
They were able to get the job done in the 2019-20 season with the tag-team duo of JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard, both of whom provided easy baskets via lobs and fast breaks, shot-blocking and rebounding.
In February, the Lakers traded for Mo Bamba, who has the ability to provide all three of those items, as well as reliable 3-point shooting. But he fell out of the rotation after returning from a sprained ankle in early April.
Before acquiring Bamba, there were incessant rumors the Lakers were interested in Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner. Some fans still want to go after him, as well as possibly sharpshooter Buddy Hield, this offseason. That was the big package the team was rumored to be interested in when it kept dangling Russell Westbrook as a trade chip.
Would Turner be worth going after again?
Turner seems to have the ability to help take the Lakers to the next level
Turner, who is 6 feet, 11 inches and 250 pounds, is 27. He certainly has the skills the Lakers would need in a center if they were moved Davis to the 4.
He is one of the NBA’s best shot-blockers, and he averaged 2.3 rejections a game this season. Turner has led the league in that category twice in his eight-year career.
His 3-point shooting accuracy has been up and down over the years, but this season he seemingly improved in that category, hitting 37.3% from downtown while attempting 4 treys a contest.
Some believe 3-point shooting at the 5 is an absolute must for the Lakers in order to provide enough offensive spacing around Davis and LeBron James.
While Turner is not the biggest world-beater defensively, he has the physique to adequately match up with the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic. With Turner taking that type of role defensively, Davis would be free to roam the perimeter, switch onto different players and play like a free safety on that end.
It’s essentially the role Davis played during L.A.’s championship season.
The obstacles in the way
On paper, a frontcourt pairing of Turner and Davis looks very attractive, especially to fans who are hungry for another Larry O’Brien Trophy.
However, as Jovan Buha of The Athletic points out, not everyone in the Lakers organization is sold on Turner.
Via The Athletic:
“There are some within the Lakers that remain skeptical of the way a Turner-Davis frontcourt fits in the playoffs.”
On Jan. 30, the Pacers gave Turner a two-year, $60 million extension. They have a promising young team that includes standout rookie Bennedict Mathurin and first-time All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, and one has to wonder why they would want to part with a man such as Turner who put up career-highs in scoring, rebounding and field-goal shooting this year.
In addition, Los Angeles has other needs, such as a true 3-and-D wing. Would it be wise for it to use up most of its trade assets on a center when there may be less expensive but serviceable options available?
While the Lakers have some trade chips, the question is how attractive they are on the open market.
Their biggest chips appear to be Malik Beasley and the final year of his contract, which is a team option; D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade; multiple draft picks, including a first and second-rounder this year; and possibly Bamba.
