It must be 11 AM at the local hotel … because Myles Turner appears to be checking out.
Amid the recent trade rumors surrounding him, the Indiana Pacers big man spoke with Jared Weiss of The Athletic this week. In the interview, Turner expressed some major frustrations with his role for the Pacers.
“It’s clear that I’m not valued as anything more than a glorified role player here, and I want something more, more opportunity,” he said. “I’m trying really hard to make the role that I’m given here work and to find a way to maximize it. I’ve been trying to the past two, three seasons. But it’s clear to me that, just numbers-wise, I’m not valued as more than a rotational role player, and I hold myself in a higher regard than that.
“I’ve been given many roles in the years that I’ve been here,” Turner went on. “I feel like I’ve been able to produce at a high level in the roles I’ve been given. I’ve shown that I can do the things they ask me to do. I think it’s time to put that all together and be a more prominent night-in, night-out guy on the offensive side of the ball instead of someone who is asked to be a floor spacer and hide in the shadows.”
The 26-year-old Turner, who is under contract through 2023, has been a Pacer since they drafted him in 2015. He is one of the league’s elite shot-blockers and provides a rare skillset with his ability to space the floor on top of that. But Turner’s production has plateaued in recent years, as Indiana rarely runs offensive sets for him other than the occasional pick-and-pop. Under new head coach Rick Carlisle this season, Turner’s shot attempts have dipped to 8.8 per game, the lowest since his rookie season.
Reports emerged this week that the Pacers are willing to trade Turner and some of their other top players. At this point, Turner seems to be almost daring them to do it.
