Getty Images Buddy Hield of the Indiana Pacers.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ trade talks with the Indiana Pacers may be dead for now, but the team is being urged to reinvigorate those negotiations if they want to compete for a title.
The discussed move between the Lakers and Pacers swapped LA’s polarizing point guard Russell Westbrook for big man Myles Turner and sharpshooter Buddy Hield. However, the sides were not able to agree on the picks involved and Bob Kravitz of The Athletic dubbed the talks “dead” on July 22.
“The Lakers-Pacers trade involving Russell Westbrook, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield and other assets is currently dead,” Kravitz tweeted. “That’s not to say the Lakers can’t come back and add a second first-round pick to the current package of picks, but for now, things are at a standstill.”
Per source, the Lakers-Pacers trade involving Russell Westbrook, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield and other assets is currently dead. That’s not to say the Lakers can’t come back and add a second first-round pick to the current package of picks, but for now, things are at a standstill.
Pacers Trade Would Give Lakers ‘Fighting Chance’
Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley believes the Lakers should do everything in their power to revive those talks to get a pair of players he feels would help make them a more serious contender.
The Lakers aren’t winning a title next season with Russell Westbrook. No, I don’t have access to a crystal ball, but I do have my memory of how this all played out in 2021-22, so… yeah. I’ve seen enough, and L.A. should agree.
Hield and Turner would be effortless fits for the Lakers. Hield’s sharpshooting would buy precious breathing room for LeBron James and Anthony Davis, while Turner is a better version of Thomas Bryant’s best-case scenario. A trade wouldn’t make the Lakers the favorites, but it would give them a fighting chance, and you never want to count out James when he has that.
The Lakers front office clearly has a liking for Hield, being linked to the sharpshooter multiple times over the last two offseasons. He’s a 39.8% shooter from deep and averages just a smidge under 16 points for his career. Hield’s added offensive ability would be a huge boost for the Lakers, who finished in the bottom third of 3-point shooting teams the last two seasons.
Turner played in 42 games with the Pacers last season, notching 12.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocks.
Pacers Could Also Ask for Talen Horton-Tucker
The sides could also work towards other variations of the trade, per veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein, including the possibility of just Hield coming back in a deal.
“Indiana would be expected to buy Westbrook out if such a trade came to fruition … which is another likely obstacle because buying out such a big salary is hardly the norm for Pacers owner Herb Simon,” Stein wrote in his mailbag column on July 25. “It is likewise believed that the teams have discussed a deal focused on Hield, without Turner involved, that would still require the Lakers to furnish draft compensation to Indiana’s liking as part of a package centered around Talen Horton-Tucker.”
The Lakers have been shy about including Horton-Tucker in trades previously and inked the 21-year-old to an extension last offseason. However, the year didn’t play out as they had hoped, with THT appearing in 60 games, averaging 10.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 41.6% from the floor, 26.9% from deep.
Despite the heaps of trade speculation, new Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has backed his current group — including Westbrook.
“We love everyone on our roster,” Ham said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “And until you’re not on our roster, you’re ours and we’re going to try to get better with the group that we have. That’s just the bottom line of it.”
While the Lakers have yet to pull off a blockbuster for Hield or former LeBron James teammate Kyrie Irving, they got younger with the signings of Lonnie Walker IV, Bryant, Damian Jones and Troy Brown Jr. That should prove to be a boost for LA as they look to return to the postseason and compete for a title.