The Atlanta Hawks need to upgrade their starting five to become contenders in the Eastern Conference again.
The Hawks would be better off with an elite rim-protecting center who can also space the floor in the pick-and-roll with All-Star point guard Trae Young. While Atlanta is confident in Onyeka Okongwu as their center for the future, an even more imposing force is soon to hit the open market for the team to pursue.
Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner is on the final year of the two-year contract extension he most recently signed with the franchise. Turner will be an unrestricted free agent for the Hawks to potentially sign next summer.
Turner would give Atlanta a sizable big man who excels in the pick-and-pop and at firing from distance off the catch. The Texas product is making a career-high 2.2 threes per game on 39.7 percent shooting from deep. He is also a premier shot-blocker who rejects 2.2 blocks for his career.
Next to Defensive Player of the Year candidate Dyson Daniels, Turner would make Atlanta a dread to deal with defensively. He could also take the next step as a scorer with the Hawks, with the potential to blossom into a 20-point, 10-rebound workhorse as his NBA ceiling, should he flirt with 35 minutes of action per night. The 28-year-old would be worth paying $25-plus million to annually to help rejuvenate the Hawks moving ahead.
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