Could Myles Turner’s recent move stoke coals on Lakers trade?

Myles Turner recently made the big decision to change agents. Could this change signal a coming trade to the Los Angeles Lakers?

According to Marc Stein, Myles Turner has changed agents from BDA to CAA. This detail on its own probably won’t mean much to most fans. But for a player who seemingly begged the Lakers to trade for him earlier this season a change in management could imply that he’s eager for more change and seeking representation who can help accomplish it.

However, primary negotiations for a trade go through the two teams, not a player’s agent, and representation is far from the only thing complicating a potential Myles Turner to the Lakers’ trade.

Why the Lakers trading for Myles Turner may be harder than it looks

Turner’s appearance on Adrian Wojnarowski’s podcast, when he said — “If I’m the Lakers, I take a very hard look at this with the position that you’re in. I know what I can provide to a team” — seems to have been a turning point for both him and the Pacers. Since those comments were released, the Pacers are 8-4 with Turner averaging 18.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2.3 blocks per game, shooting 58.8 percent from the field and 44.2 percent from beyond the arc.

That explosive run could just be auditioning for a new team but in a recent piece by Kevin O’Connor at The Ringer, Tyrese Haliburton said the team had squashed any issues from Turner’s comments and the vibes in the locker room were immaculate: “Everybody in the locker room, we get along really well. We love playing with each other, cheer for each other, and things like that.”

The other issue is that the structure of the deal that’s been rumored since the summer — Russell Westbrook and L.A.’s 2027 and 2029 first-round picks for Buddy Hield and Turner — seems much less certain. Hield has been at least as essential to the Pacers’ recent run and is even more valuable to them considering he’s under contract for next year and his shooting helps scaffold offensive opportunities for Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin.

In addition, the Lakers have always been reticent about trading both first-round picks and recent buzz is that they aren’t convinced Turner and Hield are enough to make them a contender. Right now, the only ones a trade makes sense for are maybe Turner and his new agent and that’s probably not enough.