The Pros and Cons of the San Antonio Spurs pursuing Myles Turner

Con 1. The Fading Two Big Lineup

Coach Gregg Popovich has a long history of playing lineups that feature two big men but has wisely accepted that those lineups aren’t nearly as effective in today’s NBA. By acquiring Turner, San Antonio would likely be committing to playing with two bigs for at least the next season and a half with both Turner and Jakob Poeltl under contract through 2023.

There’s no guarantee that they’d even be able to effectively play well together. In fact, they could be best served playing as the sole big man on the court. That would also be a possibility in San Antonio, with the two of them starting and playing the first six minutes of each half together before then splitting minutes at center the rest of the time.

That would effectively eliminate minutes for Drew Eubanks, which could be seen as a positive at this point, and would enable the Spurs to maximize both Turner and Poeltl. Still, it would limit both of their minutes, which would be a definite drawback of trading for Turner.

Pro 2. The San Antonio Spurs Would Get Frontcourt Help

Were San Antonio to trade for Turner, he’d provide them with an obvious talent upgrade in the frontcourt. The 25-year-old is currently averaging a terrific 12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, and is shooting 39.5 % from 3 on 4.6 attempts per game. Moreover, his shooting ability could help make his fit with Jakob Poeltl in the starting lineup more feasible than it otherwise might be, considering both are centers.

The addition of Turner would also allow for Keldon Johnson to slide down and play small forward, his natural position, as well as push Doug McDermott to the bench, which could help the bench out. As for fit, his rim protection, along with Poeltl, could help San Antonio form a proverbial wall around the basket, making it much harder for teams to score in the paint.

Offensively, he could provide Dejounte Murray and Derrick White with a pick and pop option as well as a lob threat. Murray, in particular, is effective creating easy baskets for floor spacing bigs, dating back to LaMarcus Aldridge and could help Turner fit in on the offensive end.