Charlotte Hornets are interested in Pacers’ center Myles Turner

The Charlotte Hornets are currently riding a four-game winning streak and continue to look like a playoff team. Their most recent victory was close, and the team lacked paint defense for a majority of the game.

With the team’s need for defense in the paint, it has prompted the Hornets to look at other center options. On Tuesday, J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star reported that the Hornets and four other teams were interested in Myles Turner.

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Turner’s name has been thrown up in the air in trades for a while now but he’s never been traded. If the Hornets are going to get him, they will need to compete against the other teams interested. Currently, the Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, and Pelicans are in it with the Hornets.

Turner is a defensive anchor, and he’s having the best shot-blocking season of his career. In 36 games, Turner has averaged 13.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game. His rebounding numbers are low, but the main reason behind that has been who also shares the frontcourt with him.

The most attractive thing about his game is his defense. Coach Borrego has said in the past that the Hornets need to address their paint defense, but the team has not done anything. The Hornets gave up 68 points in the paint on Monday night, which is twenty points above their game average of 47.6.

The Pacers have lost a lot of games as of late, prompting the team to look at trade offers. Indiana is currently the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference and they could be in store for a rebuild if they don’t turn things around.

A trade for Turner will likely not be cheap, he’s set to make about $17.5 million per year until 2023. It’s unclear what the Pacers are asking for, with $4.2 million in salary cap space, the Hornets will need to match near Turner’s salary to complete a trade.