The Indiana Pacers have a couple of problems to solve this season while they wait for the return of their superstar in Tyrese Haliburton. One of those problems is how to replace Myles Turner, who left the team for their rival in the Milwaukee Bucks.
Fansided’s Christopher Kline believes the Pacers can get a replacement in Utah Jazz star center Walker Kessler, who has been the center of trade rumors for a while now (no pun intended). The trade would look like this:
Indiana Pacers get: Walker Kessler
Utah Jazz get: Johnny Furphy James Wiseman 2027 first-round pick, 2029 first-round pick
“Kessler lacks Turner's offensive versatility, which was extremely valuable to last season's Pacers squad. But Kessler is a (significantly?) more impact defender at this stage of their respective careers. Turner can still move his feet and get up for blocks, but he's far more exploitable than he was in his prime. It's easy to equate blocks to defensive impact, which can be true to a certain extent, but Turner does not cover as much ground as he used to. Kessler has his matchup limitations as a traditional drop coverage rim protector, but he's on the shortlist of the most intimidating rim deterrents in the NBA. Folks do not test him,” Kline wrote.
Kessler being a defensive menace is true. Last season, he averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 2.4 blocks per game. And, of those 12.2 rebounds, 4.8 were offensive, meaning he’d play well into the Pacers’ fast-paced, dynamic offense.
His defense would be impeccable, too. With great rebounding and shot blocking, his defense could lead to some awesome fast breaks.
As mentioned earlier, Kessler has been the target of trade speculation for a while now, so the Pacers need to get on it ASAP. Once Haliburton returns, they could easily have another Finals run.
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