Pacers' Turner: Lakers should 'take a very hard look' at trading for me

Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner says the Los Angeles Lakers should do what it takes to bring him to L.A. - even if that means trading multiple first-round picks.

"If I'm the Lakers, I take a very hard look at this, with the position that you're in," Turner said on The Woj Pod. "I know what I can provide for a team - my leadership, my shot-blocking, my 3-point ability, and just my ability to make plays out there on the floor."

It's long been rumored that the Lakers and Pacers were interested in a potential swap, with Turner and teammate Buddy Hield heading to L.A. for Russell Westbrook and draft capital. Talks between the teams reportedly came to a standstill this summer after the Lakers were reluctant to include more than one first-round pick.

Turner, who's spent all eight seasons of his career in Indiana, says he's enjoyed his time there but understands the Pacers' interest in dealing him rather than potentially letting him walk in free agency. Turner is in the final year of his contract.

"I've grown up in Indiana, I’ve been here since I was 19 years old, and of course, there’s some emotional attachment to it," Turner said. "But when it comes to this business, when it comes to business in general, you have to try and cut those emotional ties."

The veteran center adds that he wouldn't mind the bigger spotlight that comes with playing in Los Angeles - the NBA's second-biggest market - for the league's signature franchise.

"You are in the microscope out there in the West," Turner said. "When you're doing bad, you're going to hear about it, but when you're doing great, you're going to get a lot of love, especially with the love that the Lakers get."

Turner also expressed interest in playing with LeBron James.

"Another aspect of that is playing with greatness and playing under LeBron," Turner said. "I feel like he demands a certain level of (excellence), especially at this point in his career."

Turner has played in just two of the Pacers' first seven games this season due to an ankle injury. He's averaging 16 points and eight rebounds while tallying nine total blocks in those contests.