Midway through the season, the Indiana Pacers have finally seemed to surpass their early-year struggles and find the rhythm that led them to the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals. However, despite their recent success, the Pacers are rumored to be eyeing the trade market, with center Myles Turner potentially being available.

With just over one week until the 2025 NBA trade deadline, the Pacers are potentially “sneakily” open to trading Turner, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported. The 10th-year big man is not actively being shopped but is a name Buha claimed Indiana is open to discussing.

“I heard from a league source that Indiana might, kinda sneakily, be open to trading Myles Turner,” Buha said on YouTube.

Buha, a Los Angeles Lakers beat reporter, gave the information on Turner based on the Lakers’ pursuit of a trade at the upcoming deadline. Teams around the league are aware that Los Angeles is in pursuit of a center after Anthony Davis publicly requested the move to allow him to play power forward.

However, Buha noted that the Lakers and Pacers are not yet engaging in trade discussions regarding Turner. He also noted that the team is only interested in potentially moving its center mainstay due to his current contract. Turner is in the final year of his $40 million contract and is expected to pursue a bigger extension in the offseason, which the Pacers seem not interested in offering.

“He is about to be an unrestricted free agent,” Buha said. “He is going to want 30-plus million, and I’ve heard Indiana is not sure if they want to give him [that much]. So if they don’t, then from an asset management standpoint, it makes sense to trade him.”

Myles Turner’s impending free agency makes him potential Pacers trade asset

Turner has played all 10 of his years with the Pacers since the team drafted him 11th overall in 2015. While never developing into an All-Star caliber player, he has been one of the league’s most consistent stretch-fives and rim protectors for the past decade.

Turner’s scoring numbers are down in 2024-2025 from his previous two years, but he is still averaging 15.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game on the year while shooting a career-high 39.3 percent from deep. He has appeared in 42 of the team’s first 45 games.

Despite being the longest-tenured player on the Pacers, Turner’s reportedly seeking a pay raise would not line up with his current value. He currently profiles as a high-value role player rather than a star but appears to desire a superstar-level contract.

Buha added that Indiana would like to receive another center in return if they move Turner. The Pacers recently traded for backup center Thomas Bryant in December 2024, but they would be left without much size if they go through with a Turner trade.