NBA Rumors: Charlotte Hornets Could Acquire Myles Turner For 3 Players And A Pick

The Charlotte Hornets have looked like a massively improved team thus far this season, tallying wins against contenders such as the Golden State Warriors and the Brooklyn Nets. They are currently 5th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 9-7.

While they are certainly a good team, there is always the opportunity to improve even further, perhaps via a trade. In this scenario, we have the Charlotte Hornets filling a positional need at the center by trading for Myles Turner.

Charlotte Hornets Receive: Myles Turner

Indiana Pacers Receive: P. J. Washington, James Bouknight, Ish Smith, 2023 first-round pick

Charlotte Hornets Get A Great Defensive Center

The Charlotte Hornets knew that they needed a good center for their team at 2021 draft night, and Myles Turner was one of the targets that they wanted to get. With this hypothetical trade, they would potentially be able to do so.

Right now, the Hornets have Mason Plumlee starting at center. While he is a solid enough veteran who knows how to make the right plays, most people would say that he isn't a starting-caliber center.

Myles Turner would be a massive improvement. On offense, Turner can finish at the rim at a decent enough level, while being a great outside shooter (41.6% from beyond the arc this season). His offensive skill set would fit perfectly with LaMelo Ball, who often creates opportunities either on the perimeter or right at the rim.

The Charlotte Hornets are also not a great defensive team, ranking in the bottom 10 for defensive rating with a rating of 110.2. Myles Turner is one of the candidates for DPOY this season, putting up 3.1 BPG. He would be able to protect the rim, and improve their defense to a passable level. While one player won't fix all of their issues, he will certainly help. 

In terms of fit, Myles Turner is the perfect center for the Charlotte Hornets on both ends. If the opportunity were to arise, they should definitely try and make a move to acquire him.

The Indiana Pacers Get A Solid Value Trade Package And A Better Fit

The Indiana Pacers pairing of Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner hasn't gotten them to the promise land thus far, and perhaps it is time to break them up. Sabonis is obviously the better offensive player and a two-time All-Star, so it's likely that they'd keep him.

The Charlotte Hornets would send out P. J. Washington in this hypothetical trade, and he's likely be able to start at PF immediately. Washington is a good defender who can also shoot the basketball, and he'd be able to let Sabonis move up to center, which seems like a more natural position for him. Washington is currently shooting 36.4% from the arc, also he'd also be able to space the floor for Sabonis. With a bigger role, he might be able to thrive as well.

The other parts of this trade package include a 2023 first-round pick from the Charlotte Hornets, as well as Ish Smith and James Bouknight. James Bouknight is a lottery prospect that could potentially develop in the G-League, and he looks like he could be a combo guard in the future. Ish Smith could potentially be an immediate rotation piece, and he's known for his ability to score buckets off the bench, which would make him a good pairing with TJ McConnell, who is known for his defense.

This package is fairly good value for the Indiana Pacers, and they could also potentially reroute some of its contents to a 3rd team to get other players for their roster. This is a solid enough return for Turner, and perhaps we see it happen in the future, though no deal of this framework has yet been reported.