“He Should Have Dipped”: Pacers Star Urged To Leave After $189 Million Pascal Siakam Deal, Amid Lakers Rumors

The 2023-24 NBA season concluded a few days ago. With this, the focus of the basketball world will now shift towards preparing for the next tournament, which will involve acquiring or trading away players from a particular franchise. Even before the NBA draft could take place, a significant change recently unfolded, as power forward Pascal Siakam recently signed a four-year, $189.5 million extension with the Indiana Pacers. Knowing that the franchise was in a position to offer such a contract, a former NBA legend has now critiqued a Pacers star for not choosing to leave when he could have.

A few hours ago, former Washington Wizards player Gilbert Arenas released another episode of his long-running show. With NBA legends Kenyon Martin and Brandon Jennings joining in as co-hosts, the crew proceeded to discuss Pascal Siakam and the current situation of the Pacers. Martin proceeded to state that after having served 9 years as the center for the franchise, Myles Turner should have chosen to take his talents to another team. He understood that the player’s high-paying contract would not have allowed any thoughts about leaving and that Turner may not have had another home in mind. However, Martin was still adamant in holding on to his belief.

“I think he should have dipped, but they could pay him the most money, so I get him staying,” said the 46-year-old.

Myles Turner is one of the longest-tenured Pacers players in the history of the franchise. During his 9-year run, he has seen many stars like Paul George, Domantas Sabonis, Victor Oladipo, and so on, come and go while staying in the same position. The franchise, in turn, rewarded the player’s loyalty by giving him a 2-year, $40,903,500 contract that would expire after the conclusion of the next season. However, with Pascal Siakam having been awarded a contract that is double in terms of both period and overall money, there is the question of whether Turner would have been better off with another team.

Now, Turner is back amongst trade rumors after recent news coming from the Los Angeles Lakers. According to the latest mock draft conducted by podcaster Kevin O’Connor, a draft pick for the franchise could be Kel’el Ware, who he believes shows “shades of Myles Turner”. However, if the franchise wants, they can acquire the actual Myles Turner themselves. After all, he was a potential target for them back in June 2023.

Myles Turner reveals getting “insecure” due to years of being the subject of trade talks

Myles Turner’s 9-year journey with the Indiana Pacers had its high moments. However, there were times when the player may not have met the expectations set for him. As a result, he has often been the center for trade rumors ever since he was drafted in 2015.

Discussing the same during a recent interview, the Center/Power Forward revealed. “When you start hearing those types of rumors year in and out, you start kind of getting insecure. You look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself, ‘Am I the problem?’ You’ve been hyped up your entire life, and when you get to this stage, everything’s under a microscope,” he said. He also highlighted the problem that NBA players like him face when “any little thing” can cause them to feel the blame of people and put them in an unwanted situation.

With the exception of the Lakers rumors, such doubts were seldom raised during last season. The 17.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists he averaged during the regular season solidified his place as one of the team’s lead scorers. His contribution helped the Pacers reach the Conference Finals, where they later lost at the hands of the future championship winner Boston Celtics.

Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about WNBA star rookies Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.