Indiana Pacers Coach Says He Has "No Interest" In Trading This Star Player

Some eyes were raised around the basketball world Wednesday night when much-talked-about trade candidate Myles Turner was pulled from the Indiana Pacers lineup before game-time. But alas, it was just back spasms. 

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle took this opportunity to tell us all how he feels about the possibility of a Myles Turner trade: 

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Myles Turner had back spasms before the game. Carlisle said jokingly, “He’s not been traded, as I guess Twitter is saying. Believe me, I have no interest in trading Myles Turner.” 😂

Carlisle added Tyrese Haliburton left the arena on crutches too. pic.twitter.com/RxizFytJaN

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) January 12, 2023

"His back tightened up pretty significantly, and all of a sudden he was ruled out— 

"He’s not been traded, as I guess Twitter is blowing up saying, 'he must be getting traded'... No," laughed Carlisle. "Believe me, I have no interest—I  have no interest in trading Myles Turner." 

Whether there was any particular reason he repeated "I HAVE no interest" with an extra emphasis on "I" we're not sure, and could, for conspiracy theorists, leave just a little bit open to interpretation. Is upper management still interested, though? 

The latest news, though, is that Turner and the Pacers have indeed been engaged in extension talks. As Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports points out, the maximum Indiana can offer right now is $96.7M over four seasons. 

But if they could renegotiate first, and then extend his contract, he could be due something in the neighborhood of 4 years, $180M, according to Fischer. 

Four weeks until the trade deadline... only time will tell if Carlisle gets his wish.

Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports