Grading 3 Potential trades for LA Clippers to upgrade at center

LA Clippers trade for a center: Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers

The other big-name center on the trade market is Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers. He has seemingly been on the market for years, but the Pacers keep finding reasons to keep him around. He’s having an excellent season for a Pacers team playing better than expected, but Indiana could elect to move the pending free agent to get back value for him.

This construction is similar to the deal with the Spurs, where the Clippers again keep Zubac around to form a nasty 1-2 punch at center. Turner’s ability to space the floor on offense (43 percent of his 3-pointers go in, and he shoots 3.9 per game) will allow the Clippers to continue playing 5-out, and his shot-blocking (2.2 per game this season, and he has twice led the league in blocks) gives them a nasty new look at the rim.

By trading Marcus Morris for Turner the Clippers take on about $1.6 million, a number Steve Ballmer should be open to swallow. The question is whether the Pacers want more value for Turner; do they view Morris as dead salary or as a veteran piece at a position (stretch-4) they don’t have filled right now, one they can flip later if they want to? If it’s the latter, the Clippers could be in business here.

Grade: B+