NBA Rumors: Wizards Could Trade Rui Hachimura, Troy Brown Jr., Thomas Bryant, And Draft Pick For Myles Turner
Despite being mediocre at best in past years, the Washington Wizards still don’t have any plan to undergo a full-scale rebuild and will likely continue with business as usual for the 2020-21 season. However, if they are really serious about fully dominating the Eastern Conference and contending for the NBA championship title, the Wizards should highly prioritize surrounding the explosive backcourt duo of Bradley Beal and John Wall with additional star power this fall. One of the players that the Wizards could target on the trade market in the 2020 offseason is Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers.
In a recent article, Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report created a list of “desperation trades to get NBA’s worst 10 teams to 2021 Playoffs.” For the Wizards, Hughes suggested they consider going after Turner this fall. In the proposed trade scenario, the Wizards would be sending a trade package that includes Rui Hachimura, Troy Brown Jr., Thomas Bryant, and an unprotected 2021 first-round pick to the Pacers in exchange for Turner.
“Another postseason-starved team turns to the Pacers for help, as the Washington Wizards have no choice but to surrender their only cost-controlled, quality assets in Brown and Hachimura in a package for Myles Turner. And it still takes a ridiculously valuable future first-rounder to make the Pacers’ side of the deal remotely plausible. Turner, a healthy Wall, Beal and Davis Bertans would give Washington a playoff-ready quartet, though the rest of the roster looks sparse around them. But if Beal and Bertans had Washington within 5.5 games of the eighth spot on their own, adding Wall and Turner should be enough to get the job done in 2021.”
Turner may not be a legitimate superstar, but he is capable of making the Wizards more competitive in the Eastern Conference. The successful acquisition of Turner would boost the Wizards’ performance on both ends of the floor, giving them a very reliable scoring option as well as an incredible rebounder, shot-blocker, and floor-spacer. This season, the 24-year-old center is averaging 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks while shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from beyond the arc, per ESPN.
Having a three-point shooting big man like Turner would be beneficial for Beal and Wall as it would make it easier for them to penetrate the basket or kick the ball out when they are trapped by the opposing team’s defense. Turner may not be enough to turn the Wizards into the heavy favorite to bring home the Larry O’Brien Trophy, but if he meshes well with the team, Washington would in no doubt become a serious threat in the Eastern Conference next season.
