For years, the Indiana Pacers have flirted with the idea of trading Myles Turner.

An NBA season just isn’t complete until reports surface about Turner’s future in Indiana being very much in question.

Well, with his impending free agency this summer and growing doubt that he could be re-signed at a palatable number for Indiana, league sources the Pacers and the Los Angeles Lakers have begun their seemingly annual tradition of negotiating a Turner deal.

According to sources with knowledge of the situation, the Lakers have held extensive conversations about Turner internally and are weighing whether it makes sense to put both the first-rounders they can move this trade deadline on the table for him.

One real question for Los Angeles is whether Turner would re-sign this summer at a number they’re comfortable with. If the answer to that question is yes, then maybe, just maybe, this is the year Rob Pelinka trades for him.

Mere days ago, names like Jonas Valanciunas or Nikola Vucevic were more the Lakers’ focus but, with the Chicago Bulls demanding a first-rounder for Vucevic and Washington asking for a protected first for Valanciunas, the Lakers have shifted their attention, sources say.

So, let’s figure out how Turner would fit as a Laker, what he will cost and how likely any of this might be.

The Pros

With Anthony Davis wanting to play less center, it makes sense for the Lakers to try to find one who can flourish both on his own and alongside Davis. Turner is currently shooting 39.3 percent from three on more than five attempts per game, which would allow enough space to play both centers. If Rui Hachimura is included in a deal, that spacing would also allow room for, say, Jarred Vanderbilt’s poor shooting.

Turner is also a fantastic defender, more than capable of anchoring lineups as the lone rim protector. The Lakers are an abysmal defensive team when Davis is off the court. As much as Davis would like Rob Pelinka to land Turner and move him to power forward more often, Turner’s biggest impact might actually take place during those minutes when Davis heads to the bench, which are now currently filled by the likes of Jaxson Hayes, Christian Koloko or smaller lineups.

When the Lakers match up with some of the bigger centers in the league, he and Davis can essentially wall off the paint for teams. Both Turner and Davis are mobile enough, also, to handle playing as the power forward in the minutes they’re both out there, which would stop either from getting picked on as, say, Nikola Vucevic or Jonas Valanciunas would.

Davis and Turner could take turns guarding Nikola Jokic with the other in help situations should the teams face each other in the postseason. That was simply not a viable look the Lakers could throw at the three-time MVP in their previous two playoff matchups.

If the Lakers are serious about living up to Davis’ demands, Turner is about as good as they could realistically do, both in terms of talent and fit.

The cons

In terms of basketball fit right now, there aren’t many cons. If Turner’s shooting this year cools upon arriving in Los Angeles, then the fit with Davis could get clunky, but even then, they could be so suffocating defensively that spacing as a concern could be mitigated.

In this case, the downside to trading for Turner is almost entirely financial. As mentioned earlier, he is due to become a free agent this year, so the Lakers would obviously like to avoid any scenario where they send out multiple firsts for only a couple of months of his services.

Even if he does re-sign, the Lakers would then have Davis on the books next year for $54.1 million and Turner also making around $30 million. $84+ million for a pair of centers is pretty steep under any circumstance, but on top of LeBron James’ player option worth $52.6 million, that’s almost the Lakers’ entire cap devoted to three players who arguably prefer to play the same position.

Depending on the contract Turner signs, how much draft capital it takes to land him, and given how conservative the league has become if the dual-center experiment doesn’t work, the Lakers could struggle to find a different path forward with so few additional assets. This is the riskiest path forward for an organization still reeling from the last time they took a swing like this to acquire Russell Westbrook.

The cost

One way or another, the Lakers would have to move both their first-rounders to bring in Turner. If the teams want to keep it as simple as possible, then Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino and those two picks could go to Indiana with Turner going to L.A. This feels unlikely though, as it would be a hard-right turn into a rebuild while the Pacers sit fifth in the Eastern Conference.

Another option would be to involve the Portland Trail Blazers as a third team, with Robert Williams III going to Indiana, Hachimura and the lesser pick the Lakers offer going to Portland. Regardless of the specifics, it’s going to cost those two picks, Hachimura (because he’s the only non-negative contract at the Lakers’ disposal) and filler.

The likelihood of a Myles Turner trade to Lakers

Last week, I put together a full list complete with honorable mentions and didn’t mention Turner. Some smoke was swirling around that situation but, frankly, I just didn’t believe he was actually available. In the days since the noise has only grown, so here we sit. From the Lakers’ standpoint, if Vucevic, Valanciunas and the like are going to cost first-round draft capital, they’re more interested in a player who they feel is worth that price.

In complete honesty, it’s hard to believe Turner is actually available. Indiana has become Lucy from The Peanuts Gang with Turner being the football. They’re coming off a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals just last year and Turner was a huge part of that run. Trading the starting center a couple of months from another playoff run just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

All that said, Indiana is a small market and will start making some tough decisions with a roster that might have topped out at last year’s playoff run. If they can turn Turner, who they might lose for nothing this summer, into at least one first-rounder and his replacement, then maybe they consider that path worthwhile.

The biggest factors at play are the Lakers’ openness to move their first-rounders, Turner’s expectations for a contract this summer and Indiana actually following through after years of will-they, won’t-they trade negotiations with teams for Turner.