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Pacers forward Myles Turner weighs in on Paul George trade

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The 21-year-old forward is now the face of the Indiana Pacers.
Indiana Pacers forward Myles Turner woke up from a three-hour nap on Friday night and saw the news: Paul George traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
His immediate reaction?
“Wow.”
A George trade was expected — he told the Pacers he didn’t want to return after his contract expired next summer. As USA TODAY Sports’ Sam Amick reports, the Thunder and Pacers had discussed potential deals at the trade deadline and on draft night, but George’s link to teams like Boston, Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers stole all the headlines.
“The Thunder of all people? You hear the rumors of the Celtics and the Lakers, Cavs — the Thunder is like a dark horse team, ” Turner, who’s in Orlando to watch his Pacers teammates take part in Summer League, said on an NBA TV broadcast Saturday. “It was definitely surprising, but he’s moving on to his endeavors, and he’s got to do what he’s got to do.”
Now Turner, the 21-year-old who the Pacers drafted with the No. 11 pick in 2015 out of Texas, is the face of the franchise. A tall order, for sure, especially with an elite talent like George out the door. Not only that, but Oladipo, 25, has yet to fully tap into the potential that made him the No. 2 overall pick in 2013, and Sabonis, 21, only averaged 20 minutes a game with the Thunder last season.
But Turner insists he’s excited about what the future has in store.
“I’m a big fan of both their games, ” Turner said. “Sabonis, it’s funny, I actually played against him in college. It was a little scrimmage and he actually got a couple of buckets on me, I’m not even going to lie. I like his game a lot. And then I played with Oladipo during the USA selects last summer. … I really think they can help us.”
Turner, who averaged 14.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks while starting 81 games for the Pacers last season, noted that the team’s plan is to now “build around younger guys.”
“We’ve still got a couple more days of free agency left. Shoot, it’s just getting started. You never know what’s going to happen, ” Turner said. “I know coach really wants us to be that team that sets ourselves apart with our heart and our hustle. When you’ve got young, spirited guys like myself and more guys you can bring in — the future’s looking bright.”

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