NBA Rumors: Miami Heat turned down Evan Turner deal

When the Indiana Pacers dealt Danny Granger to the Philadelphia 76ers to acquire former #2 overall pick Evan Turner, some questioned the deal while others praised it, believing Turner could help the Pacers overcome the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference.

Although the Pacers are in position to grab the #1 seed in the East, it hasn’t really worked out that way.

In 25 games with the Pacers, Turner is averaging just 7.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting only 39.9% from the field.

Maybe the Heat saw that coming.

According to Dan Le Batard of The Miami Herald, the Heat were offered Turner before the Pacers, but turned the deal down.

"And do what you will with this: The Heat was offered Evan Turner before Indiana. All they had to give up was Haslem, who wasn’t even playing. Haslem, like Danny Granger, has spent his basketball life with only one team, and he talks a lot about the Heat way and family. The Heat didn’t make the trade at least in part because it didn’t like how the message contradicted what it was selling James when it met him, or what it might do to the locker room.And Haslem, the old pro who has twice given up in excess of $10 million to stay in Miami, never once said a negative syllable from the bench, telling anyone who would listen that a time would come when he would be needed. And, as the Pacers continue an uncommon short-circuiting since the Granger-for-Turner trade, that was the undersized Haslem pushing around Roy Hibbert, the giant who called his teammates selfish, in the most recent game to help decide the Eastern Conference’s best team."

Haslem has appeared in 44 games and is averaging 3.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.