Getty Myles Turner (left) and LeBron James of the Lakers (right)
The move of Pacers big man Myles Turner to switch his NBA representation, likely to link up with Creative Artists Agency (according to a report from veteran writer Marc Stein), raised some eyebrows around the league, as Turner has been one of basketball’s most frequently discussed trade targets—with the Lakers an unabashed suitor for more than a year.
The Lakers and Pacers held lengthy discussions this summer about swapping Russell Westbrook and future draft compensation for Turner and shooting guard Buddy Hield, but the talks ultimately flamed out.
Pacers C Myles Turner is leaving BDA Sports after two years of representation and is expected to switch to CAA, league sources say.
Turner is in the last year of his contract and oft-billed as a trade candidate before the Feb. 9 trade deadline.
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Turner Agent Change Nothing to Do With Trade Deadline?
But the conventional view that Turner’s shift could be a precursor to a move before the NBA trade deadline was shrugged off by executives this week. The Pacers have been listening to offers for Turner for a while now, and the reason he has not been dealt is not because his previous agency, BDA Sports, was standing in the way. It was simply because teams have not met the Pacers’ price of a top-level first-round draft pick plus a player, or two top-level first-round picks.
And the price for Turner’s services is going up, too. He will be a free agent this summer, and that is where the move to CAA is more important. Turner is averaging career-highs in points (17.2), rebounds (8.1) and shooting (54.0%) while still averaging 2.5 blocks per game.
“He has had a hard time staying healthy, but he is on the floor now and he has been better than he ever has been,” one Eastern Conference executive told Heavy Sports. “Indiana wants to rebuild but the Simons (team owners) have never been ones to tank, they want to be competitive. So when the focus is on trading Turner away but now he is at an almost All-Star level and he is only 26 years old, the question is, why don’t we keep him ourselves? Indiana has some other guys with CAA, so it could be that he stays put. It was kind of a bombshell for him to make an agent change then.”
Turner could though, sign with the Lakers in free agency, depending on what the market is for his services this summer. The Lakers potentially have as much as $34 million in cap space available this summer, depending on how they approach their roster. Given Turner’s injury history, a deal starting in the $20-25 million range is likely, and the Lakers would have to decide whether Turner (who signed a four-year $80 million deal in 2018) is worth the commitment.
Longstanding Klutch vs. CAA Beef Could Be a Factor
More important, though, could be the politics of NBA teams and their relationships with certain agents and agencies. The fact that Turner could turn to CAA rather than Klutch Sports, the Rich Paul-led agency that has the backing of LeBron James, has been taken as a signal that Turner has given up on landing with the Lakers. James was once a CAA client and Paul was an employee of the company—the animosity between that developed between Klutch and CAA after the sides split is well-known.
Even if they get over their CAA aversion, the Lakers will need to decide what to do with the space they have next year, assuming they are keeping both LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Do they pursue one star player (Kyrie Irving? Fred VanVleet?) with their full available space, or do they try to split it up into two role players, like Turner and, say, Draymond Green or Harrison Barnes?
There also could be wild-card pursuits of Turner to consider, with teams like Charlotte and San Antonio lingering as possible free-agent suitors.
“I would agree with that, you cannot rule out the Pacers keeping him,” one NBA source told Heavy Sports. “He was pretty open about the Lakers going after him and a player does not do that without knowing that is somewhere he wants to play. The Lakers know that and it is going to be part of how they’re looking at things, not just this year but next year. You never want to trade away assets for someone you could just sign as a free agent, but the Klutch vs. CAA thing, that is another wrinkle if it all works out that way.
“It’s not like Indiana is forcing a trade, anyway. They have passed up good offers for (Turner). They’d like to move him with Buddy Hield, to get off of the last year of his contract (Hield is signed for $19 million for 2022-23). Or at least move (Daniel) Theis, too. So they’re being patient, as they should. You can never make predictions in this business, but most likely, he somehow goes to the Lakers next summer or he stays with the Pacers.”