The LA Clippers fill two needs
File this under “unlikely to happen”.
This deal hinges on a lot of “what-ifs”. What if Myles Turner really wants out of Indiana? What if Montrezl Harrell wants to go play in Indiana? What if Trezz and Landry Shamet is the best deal the Pacers can get for Turner?
All three of those things would probably have to be true in order for this deal to even happen. But just imagine if it did. Sure, losing Shamet hurts but they get two solid bench pieces who can immediately help the team.
The Clippers would fill two of their needs by getting a center and a playmaker from the Pacers. If Myles Turner is cool taking a bench role, the Clips would have an extremely dangerous center rotation. I know this piece is centered around getting a playmaker on the roster but if you can fill two holes in one deal, it’s pretty great, right?
Turner is the big get in this deal. He is a great shot blocker, can score well at all levels, and is a decent rebounder. Pairing him off the bench with JaMychal Green and Lou Williams would keep the second unit extremely deadly and when slotted in next to Kawhi and PG, he could still be effective and would give the team another solid defender.
As for the playmaker in this deal, T.J. McConnel averaged 5.0 assists this past season, more than Patrick Beverley. He is also a pure hustle guy, much like Beverley, which would mean opposing point guards would not have a second of rest between the two. He’s probably not a huge improvement over Reggie Jackson as a backup point guard but he seems to fit this roster a little better.
The Clippers might still have some playmaking concern but this trade moves the needle in the right direction enough for it to be worth exploring.