NBA Rumors: Wizards Could Trade Thomas Bryant, Troy Brown Jr & 2021 1st-Rounder For Myles Turner
Despite the assets they acquired in the 2020 offseason, the Washington Wizards remain one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference. The newly formed duo of Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal may finally be learning how to win games, but if they want a realistic chance of reaching the NBA Finals, they should strongly consider making major roster upgrades before the 2021 trade deadline. One of the players that the Wizards could target on the market is Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers.
In a recent article, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report came up with a trade idea for every team two weeks into the season. For the Wizards, it’s the hypothetical deal that would bring Turner to Washington. According to Buckley, the Wizards could acquire Turner from the Pacers by sending them a package that includes Thomas Bryant, Troy Brown Jr., and a lottery-protected 2021 first-round pick.
Turner may not be on the same level as Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, and Nikola Jokic, but he would still be an incredible addition to the Wizards. Buckley believes that adding Turner to their core would significantly improve Washington’s offensive and defensive efficiency that currently ranks 10th (scoring 108.9 points per 100 possessions) and 27th (allowing 111.6 points per 100 possessions), respectively, per ESPN.
“Despite several personnel changes—most notably, the drafting of Deni Avdija and the John Wall-for-Russell Westbrook trade—this remains a team that’s solid on offense (11th) and atrocious on defense (27th). If this team has any hopes of building a winner around Bradley Beal—if it didn’t, wouldn’t he have been traded by now?—it has to fix its fractured defense. Bringing in Myles Turner, the NBA’s leading shot-blocker, would be a massive step in the right direction. As an added bonus, he’s a good enough shooter from distance (career 35.2 percent) that he wouldn’t spoil the spacing for Beal and Westbrook.”
Turner would give the Wizards a very reliable third scoring option behind Beal and Westbrook, as well as a great rebounder, shot-blocker, and floor-spacer. In seven games he played this season, he is averaging 13.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.6 blocks, and 1.6 assists while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 26.5 percent from beyond the arc, per ESPN. Those numbers are expected to skyrocket once he gets out of the shadow of Domantas Sabonis and moves to a team that would give him more playing time and a significant role on the offensive end of the floor.
Turner would still need to make adjustments to his game to fit in Washington, but once he builds good chemistry with Beal and Westbrook, the Wizards could form an interesting trio in the 2020-21 NBA season.
