Fantasy Baseball: Trea Turner among the very best draft picks you can make in every round
It's time to put my money where my mouth is. After writing one fantasy baseball article after another since the start of spring training, I'm ready to identify my top values in each round of Yahoo drafts. These picks are based on 10-team leagues. Go here for the worst picks at ADP.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2025 MLB season]
Of course, Shohei Ohtani, Bobby Witt Jr. and Aaron Judge are the preferred options. But I want to highlight someone who makes sense at any point past pick 3. Tucker has the five-category skill set that roto managers covet and the high walk rate that creates an elite floor in points leagues.
Álvarez is sometimes overshadowed by other stars, but with a lifetime .973 OPS, he is part of the conversation as baseball's best pure hitter. Sitting squarely in his prime with four straight 30-homer seasons, the slugger could still have one more power uptick.
Simply put, Turner belongs in Round 2. The five-category star is a top 15 hitter in roto formats and a top 20 hitter in points leagues. Hitting atop a productive lineup gives Turner a rock-solid floor.
After striking out 209 batters in 146.1 innings last year, Crochet oozes upside now that he is permitted to log a heavy workload while working for a solid team. He has as good a chance as anyone to finish as the No. 1 starter of 2025.
In 44 starts with the Royals, Ragans has logged a 3.00 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP and a 10.9 K/9 rate. He would have gone one round earlier if he had produced those numbers in a major market.
Langford gave us a glimpse of the future when he was named AL Player of the Month in September after hitting .300 with 8 homers, 7 steals, 20 RBI and 25 runs scored. This is the last year that the future superstar will be available this late in drafts.
Sure, Helsley isn't going to repeat his 49-save season. But he should be ranked higher than his current Yahoo ADP as the seventh reliever off the board. The ace closer has logged a 1.83 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP across the past three seasons.
I previously identified McLain as my toughest player to rank. But after that painstaking evaluation process, I have become a big fan of someone who has a 20-20 floor and multi-position eligibility.
Walker is a top-tier closer without the draft-price tag. The right-hander was among baseball's best relievers last year (1.91 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 99:18 K:BB ratio) and should save plenty of narrow wins at his pitcher-friendly home park.
Ober is a WHIP darling (career 1.07 mark) who strikes out a batter per inning. I'm happy to lock in that production while crossing my fingers that his fly-ball-heavy approach continues to result in a solid ERA.
Bichette is my favorite value pick this year. I expect the career .290 hitter to return to his top form, which will not only include a high batting average but also 20 homers and a double-digit steals total from a premium lineup spot.
Ryan is a cheaper version of his teammate Ober, with an even better strikeout rate that is offset by greater injury risk. The right-hander will have a WHIP below 1.10 and could whiff 200 batters.
Steele represents the end of a large second tier of starters. The southpaw has logged an ERA below 3.20 in each of the past three seasons and made major strides with a 1.10 WHIP last year.
This is a great spot in the draft to take a chance on one of baseball's best prospects. Crews may not hit for average right away, but he has the potential to accumulate 20 homers and 30 steals.
The 14th round is mostly a flat tier of uninspiring hurlers, so I'll pivot to one of the few position players in the group. Bogaerts is past his peak but remains valuable as someone who can hit for average while also collecting 15-20 homers and steals.
This is a great area of the draft to grab a competent backstop in one-catcher leagues. Langeliers and his 30-homer potential make for a fine target. J.T. Realmuto is another excellent option in this round.
Admittedly, I'm worried about reports of Nimmo's knee soreness this spring. But I'm still willing to invest a pick this late in an on-base machine who is expected to bat cleanup in a productive lineup.
Admittedly, I don't love the options in Round 18. But I'm happy to roster Díaz, whom I expect to bounce back from a disappointing 2024 season. The infielder gains value in points leagues by virtue of his high walk rate and could produce an improved homer total thanks to the Rays' temporary home park.
This is a good spot in the draft to throw darts at starters with major upside. Pivetta logged a helpful 1.12 WHIP and an eye-popping 11.1 K/9 rate across the past two seasons. Finally on a team with a pitcher-friendly home park, he can push his ERA below 4.00.
Muncy is a perfect fit in points leagues with daily lineup moves, as he can provide 30 homers and 90 RBI while spending a day or two per week on the bench. In roto formats, I would prefer speedster Andrés Giménez in this round.
Holmes has been so effective as a starter this spring that he earned the Opening Day nod for the Mets. With excellent velocity and a heavy groundball lean, the former closer can be an efficient starter who posts excellent ratios across 150 innings.
I'm not sure where things will go with Shaw, but I'm happy to use a late pick on a premium prospect who may have an everyday role and opens 2025 with triple-position eligibility in Yahoo leagues.
Schmidt could be the beneficiary of New York's rotation injuries, as he now has a clear runway to make 30 starts after making major improvements (2.85 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) in an injury-shortened 2024 season. He may miss a couple starts at the outset of the season, but his shoulder injury is viewed as a minor issue.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
PWHL expansion winners and losers: Vancouver and Seattle reshape the league
By the end of the Professional Women's Hockey League Expansion Draft it was clear that any list of winners and losers would be topped by the two new teams themselves. Based on the star power added during the five-day signing period and the additional elite talent drafted on Monday night, Seattle and Vancouver are – before even playing a single game – legitimate contenders. Advertisement The PWHL was determined to help its newest franchises stock themselves as well as they could with rules that heavily favored the expansion teams over its original six franchises. And both general managers — Cara Gardner Morey in Vancouver and Meghan Turner in Seattle — did just that. Nine Olympians, five first-round picks and five major award finalists over the league's first two seasons were either drafted or signed by Seattle and Vancouver. They're the obvious winners here, as well as women's hockey fans on the West Coast who will get to watch these teams hit the ice in 2025-26. The PWHL's original six teams, meanwhile, have lost … a lot. But that would make for a pretty boring list. So with the expansion draft complete, here are some of the biggest winners and losers (beyond the obvious) of the last week of roster building. Winners Danielle Serdachny With just two goals and eight points, Serdachny, it's fair to say, had a rookie season in Ottawa that fell short of the lofty expectations put on the No. 2 pick in the 2024 PWHL Draft, who some even thought could have been drafted No. 1 over Sarah Fillier. Advertisement Initially playing in Ottawa's top-six, Serdachny moved down the lineup until she stuck on the fourth-line, playing as little as seven minutes in a playoff game against Minnesota. When the Charge — which protected forward Emily Clark, defender Ronja Savolainen and goalie Gwyneth Philips — left Serdachny unprotected, she signed one of the five cornerstone contracts with Seattle. In a press release, Turner said Serdachny is 'only beginning to tap into her full potential,' and is a 'tremendous addition to our group.' In a news conference last week, Serdachny made it clear she was looking forward to the change. 'This fresh start will be really, really good for me and a new opportunity to play under a new staff and with new teammates,' she said. Advertisement Turner has already referred to Serdachny as a top-six forward for the new club, where she could pencil in with other young, skilled forwards in Julia Gosling and Jessie Eldridge. Serdachny had a standout career at Colgate University – where she's the all-time leading scorer in program history – and has found a consistent role on Team Canada. She struggled in Ottawa, but there's definitely more to give. Even Ottawa GM Mike Hirshfeld knows that. 'I'm sure she'll be incredible and dynamic in Seattle,' he said in an interview with the Ottawa Citizen. 'I'm sure we'll be really upset that we lost her.' Erin Ambrose Ambrose was very open about her desire to stay in Montreal, and her anxiety that she might be on the move through the expansion draft process. Advertisement 'I'd love to stay here,' she said during Montreal's final media availability last month. 'But it's out of my control.' If Ambrose was available in the draft, she'd have been a no-brainer selection. She was the 2024 Defender of the Year and actually improved on the defensive side of the puck this season. But with Cayla Barnes signing in Seattle and Jennifer Gardiner signing in Vancouver, Montreal was able to protect Ambrose with its fourth (and final) protection slot. The Victoire will be better for it next season, especially with the additional loss of defender Anna Wilgren, Barnes' most frequent defense partner, who was taken in the draft by Seattle. But the big winner is Ambrose, who gets to stay in Montreal, where she's played since 2018 in the now-defunct Canadian Women's Hockey League. Grace Zumwinkle and Minnesota's top-six Like Ambrose, Zumwinkle is among the winners of the night because she gets to stay put. Unlike Ambrose, however, Zumwinkle was not protected at all throughout the expansion process. Advertisement After Minnesota lost Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques in the signing window, the team protected rookie forward Britta Curl-Salemme with its fourth slot, leaving Zumwinkle available in the draft. Perhaps her injury history, down season, or a potentially lofty contract was a deterrent for Seattle and Vancouver. Still, at her best, Zumwinkle is a strong power forward who can thrive in the PWHL's physical game and score goals in the dirty areas of the ice. She was seventh in league scoring last season, third in goals, and won Rookie of the Year over 2023 first-overall pick Taylor Heise. Protecting Curl-Salemme over Zumwinkle was a gamble that Minnesota ultimately won. While the back-to-back champions lost two Defender of the Year finalists, the Frost can at least run back a pretty similar forward group next season — with Kendall Coyne Schofield, Heise, Curl-Salemme, Zumwinkle and Kelly Pannek. Brooke McQuigge — who finished fifth on the team with eight goals — is a loss, but if Zumwinkle can get healthy and find her game again that should lessen the blow at the top of the forward lineup. Zumwinkle, meanwhile, will get to remain in her home state, where she's played hockey her entire career. The Toronto depth chart Relatively speaking, the Toronto Sceptres look OK. Advertisement Yes, the team lost a star in Sarah Nurse and its top-three draft picks from last year's draft. But every single team lost elite players over the last week and, for Toronto, it could have been worse. The Sceptres still have their MVP candidate and No. 1 defender Renata Fast, captain Blayre Turnbull and star forward Daryl Watts, who led the team in scoring last season. Only Marie-Philip Poulin — the best player in the world — has more career points in the PWHL than Watts, who also ranks third in all time goals behind Poulin and Natalie Spooner. Emma Maltais — a fan favorite — was protected on Monday night after Gosling was selected, which feels like a win for Toronto, despite the loss of a potential top-six power forward. Beyond losing Megan Carter — a local, shutdown defender — Toronto's blue line was untouched, leaving the Sceptres with its top pair (Fast and Savannah Harmon) intact, Allie Munroe under contract and a spot open for Kali Flanagan to re-sign. Their goalie depth chart — Kristen Campbell and Raygan Kirk — is unchanged as well, though I wonder if the team will look for more consistency than Campbell has provided. Advertisement Losing Nurse hurts, but GM Gina Kingsbury should have some cap space available to re-sign Spooner and Hannah Miller, should they choose to stay, and try to grab a top defender when free agency opens on June 16. Don't get me wrong, the Sceptres lost a lot — including skilled winger Izzy Daniel — but they might be the most well-equipped of the original six teams to perform well next season. Losers Ottawa's blue line It's hard to imagine a worse start to the expansion draft for the Ottawa Charge with the first two selections coming from the team's top-four. Ashton Bell, maybe Ottawa's best defender in the PWHL Finals, was taken first by Vancouver. When Seattle was on the clock, it took Aneta Tejralová, a solid, two-way second pair defender. Advertisement The bright side was that teams weren't able to take any more players from the Charge after the first two selections. The damage was already done with two immediate hard hits to a team that already lost a star goalie (Emerance Maschmeyer) and an elite young talent (Serdachny). Save for Serdachny, Ottawa's forward group looks fine with Clark, captain Brianne Jenner and Gabbie Hughes all under contract. If Ottawa can re-sign top winger Tereza Vanišová and center Shiann Darkangelo, it could largely return the forward group that made the PWHL Finals this season. However, Ottawa currently only has two defenders under contract, Ronja Savolainen and 37-year-old Jocelyne Larocque, who just lost her d-partner in Bell. If the team cannot re-sign free agents Zoe Boyd and Jincy Roese, one of the team's legitimate strengths — depth on defense — is going to turn into an issue very quickly. The New York Sirens The New York Sirens finished last in the PWHL standings two years in a row, and just lost their No. 1 center, starting goalie, a top line winger and a depth center. Advertisement Sure, they have the No. 1 pick in the entry draft later this month, and didn't lose a single defender to expansion. But the Sirens roster is looking pretty grim, with star forward Sarah Fillier — who GM Pascal Daoust still needs to convince to stick around long-term — left with a supporting cast of forwards who just haven't been good enough. New York's remaining forwards — Abby Roque, Noora Tulus, Elle Hartje, Emmy Fecteau and Paetyn Levis — combined for 12 goals last season, fewer than Fillier's own goal total and just one more than Carpenter, who was made available to sign in Seattle. Letting Eldridge go unprotected — in favor of defender Maja Nylén Persson with the fourth slot — was almost just as confounding, considering Eldridge is top-10 in all-time PWHL scoring, and has played well on a line with Fillier. Perhaps Daoust was looking to do a major reset of the roster after two disappointing seasons. But it's hard to imagine the Sirens digging out of the basement anytime soon. Danielle Marmer In an expansion draft with no shortage of tough decisions, perhaps no general manager was put in a worse position than Marmer, who was forced to choose between the future of the Boston organization and one of the best women's hockey players of all time. Advertisement We know now that Marmer opted for the former, protecting forward Alina Müller over captain Hilary Knight, who signed with Seattle on Wednesday night. As shocking as it was to see Knight unprotected, it was a completely defensible decision, given Knight will turn 36 this summer and likely carries one of the league's larger cap hits. That Marmer had to make that decision at all speaks volumes about how unforgiving the PWHL's expansion rules were. And not only did Marmer lose Knight, but also Seattle drafted 2024 fourth-overall pick Hannah Bilka with the third selection in the expansion draft, and fourth-round pick Sydney Bard. Seattle GM Meghan Turner also grabbed Boston's steady veteran defender Emily Brown, who Marmer probably hoped would slip through the cracks. But Turner, who was Marmer's assistant GM in Boston, knew exactly the value Brown could bring to her startup blue line. Marmer protected the future of the team in Müller, but she now also only has eight players under contract for next season, which is among the fewest in the league heading into free agency. Marmer will have a ton of work to do if she doesn't want the decision to lose Knight to be for naught. Teams competing with Vancouver in free agency Gardner Morey prioritized building her team from the back-end and out, with four puck-moving defenders, and several young, gritty, two-way forwards. And outside of big signings such as Nurse, Jaques and Thompson, Vancouver's initial 12-player roster looks pretty affordable. Advertisement We don't yet know exactly what players are making next season, but it's fair to assume that Rosenthal and McQuigge aren't paid quite as much as Seattle's big name selections like Gosling or Bilka. After the draft, Gardner Morey said the team is going to look for a few more top-six forwards, which tells us she probably has some decent cap room to go to work with during the league's next signing window. And with that in mind, grabbing elite depth players such as Denisa Křìžová and McQuigge makes a ton of sense, especially if Vancouver can go out and sign a skilled forward like Hannah Miller or Michela Cava in free agency. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. NHL, Sports Business, Women's Hockey 2025 The Athletic Media Company
Indianapolis Star
17 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
Pacers keen on re-signing Myles Turner. What it may cost, what it could mean for rest of roster
INDIANAPOLIS – Whether the Pacers' magical postseason run ends in either victory or defeat in the NBA Finals, they'll immediately find themselves on the clock as soon as it ends with a window to negotiate with their starting center and longest-tenured player. The day after the Finals, teams can begin negotiating with players who finished the season on their roster that are entering free agency. They can't begin negotiating with free agents who began the season on other teams until 6 p.m., June 30 when the NBA calendar flips over. In the Pacers' case this season, that means they'll have a window with which they'll be the only team that can negotiate with Myles Turner. Reportedly, they intend to finalize a deal so he doesn't go anywhere else. ESPN's Shams Charania reported on NBA Countdown before ABC's broadcast of Game 2 of the NBA Finals "the Pacers know they cannot afford to lose" Turner in free agency, and the franchise is willing to go into the luxury tax for the first time in 20 years to re-sign Turner and there is mutual interest in getting a deal done. That reporting is consistent with other reports throughout the season including from Jake Fischer of the Stein Line that rival executives do not expect Turner to be "gettable" in free agency by anyone who isn't Indiana. NBA Finals Game 2 winners, losers: Thunder go big, Tyrese Haliburton waits too long Obviously, the Pacers still have a Finals to finish and Turner, the Pacers and his agent would still have details to iron out. But if the Pacers do intend to do what it takes to keep Turner, here's what that might mean for him, and for other Pacers players as the franchise looks into its future. Turner signed a re-negotiate-and-extend deal in January of 2023 that paid him a total of about $58 million over 2 1/2 seasons. The Pacers were under the salary cap so they were able to throw on about $17.1 million on to the $20 million per year he was making under the four-year contract he signed in 2019. He's made approximately $41 million combined over the past two seasons — a little over $20 million in 2023-24 and a little under $20 million this season — and in that time he's helped the Pacers to two deep playoff runs after a three-year playoff absence, which gives the 29-year-old a case for a raise after 10 seasons with the franchise. Turner's past three seasons have been among the most efficient offensive seasons of his career as playing with All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton has unlocked and enhanced much of his offensive game. He can score at all three levels — at the rim, in the mid-range and from beyond the arc — which makes him a perfect ball screen partner for Haliburton, and he can also space the floor and run to the corner when Haliburton runs ball screen actions with power forward Pascal Siakam or others. Turner's scoring went down a little this season to 15.6 points per game from 17.1 per game last year and 18.0 per game in 2022-23, but he made 156 3-pointers this season — by far a career-high — at a career-best 39.6% clip. Turner isn't quite the overwhelming rim protector he was in his early 20s when he twice led the NBA in blocked shots for a season. However, he is the Pacers' career all-time leading shot-blocker and his 2.0 blocks per game in the regular season were fifth among all NBA players and first among players who appeared in at least 65 games. His 144 total blocks in 72 games put him behind only San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama — who had 176 blocks in just 46 games — and Milwaukee's Brook Lopez, who had 148 blocks in 80 games. In the playoffs so far, his 39 blocks lead all playoff performers and his 2.2 blocks per game put him second only to Zach Edey, who had 2.5 per game before Memphis was defeated in the first round. All of that suggests Turner is worthy of a significant pay bump. Haliburton and Siakam — who have each been named to two All-NBA teams — are each due $45.5 million per year as max contract players and the Pacers can't afford to pay Turner that much, but an increase to approximately $30 million per year seems reasonable and doable if the Pacers are willing to go over the luxury tax as reported. The NBA won't finalize its salary cap, luxury tax, and first- and second-tax-apron barriers until June 30, but the sports business website projects the salary cap to be at about $154.6 million, the luxury tax threshold to be about $189 million, the first-apron threshold to be about $195.9 million and the second-apron threshold to be about $207.8 million. Spending over the first and second apron not only requires teams spend more money in luxury tax but each apron also contains restrictions on trades and other player movement that make it more difficult for teams to shape their rosters. The Pacers head into free agency with about $168 million already spoken which puts them well above the salary cap but with about $20 million under the luxury tax and about $27 million under the first apron. The Pacers might be able to shave enough salary with some small moves or by backloading Turner's contract to stay under the first apron which allows more roster flexibility. The cap figures will continue to go up by approximately 10% each year thanks to the NBA's new media contracts so there will be more space to fit Turner in later. The Pacers do have to be smart about that part because Turner will likely get big offers if he hits the open market. Not many teams are under the cap with the ability to put out big-money contracts, but the Detroit Pistons are and after a thrilling loss to the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs, they appear to be interested in adding big men to their roster. Turner seems set on returning to Indiana, but the Pacers still can't risk giving him a low-ball offer because he's aware there could be better out there. If the Pacers opt to keep Turner for about $30 million per year for 4-5 years, they will have their whole starting five locked up through at least the 2026-27 season and two of their most reliable bench players under contract through at 2027-28. After this season, Haliburton will still be under contract for four more seasons, Siakam and guard Andrew Nembhard are under contract for three more seasons and forward Aaron Nesmith is under contract for two more years. Veteran point guard T.J. McConnell is under contract for four more seasons, though not all of that is guaranteed, and forward Obi Toppin is under contract for four more seasons. Because keeping all of them and signing Turner to a $30 million-per-year deal would not only put the Pacers over the luxury tax but near the first apron, they could look to move one of those players in something of a consolidation deal. Toppin in particularly seems to be something of a luxury item as a bench player who will make $14 million next season, $15 million the year after and $16 million the year after that. McConnell's salary will increase from $10.2 million to $11.8 million over the life of his deal which isn't cheap for a 33-year-old backup point guard either. However, the Pacers do seem intent on keeping as much of this core together as possible and this run has given them reason to try, and if they're willing to spend over the luxury tax they might not have to move anyone from that core of seven players. Re-signing Turner would tighten things up for future decisions, particular with recent lottery picks Bennedict Mathurin and Jarace Walker. Mathurin is extension eligible this summer and Walker will be extension eligible next summer. Deciding what to offer Mathurin isn't easy even in a vacuum as he's averaging 15.9 points per game over his first three seasons and posted the third highest scoring season for a rookie in Pacers history and continues to prove to be one of the team's most dynamic 1-on-1 scorers, but his fit within the Pacers' hyperkinetic style of play has been uneasy and his defensive progress has been real but uneven. He's averaging 10.3 points per game off the bench in the playoffs and his numbers have generally fallen since Nesmith took his place in the starting lineup. The Pacers 2026-27 cap figure is currently about $44.8 million short of the first tax apron and $57.9 million short of the second apron according to but if Turner takes up $30 million that would mean the Pacers would likely have to keep Mathurin's extension under $15 million per year to stay under the first apron and under $18 million per year to stay under the second. It's easy to imagine him getting more than that from another team if he hits free agency in the summer of 2026. The Pacers also have to decide what to do with Walker, who has had a hard time breaking into the starting lineup since being taken No. 8 in the 2023 draft. With a loaded roster last year he played in just 33 games as a rookie. This year he played in 75 in the regular season, but played just 117 playoff minutes in 12 games before an ankle sprain in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which held him out for Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals. Walker still has a season to make a case for an extension, but the Pacers are clearly in their championship window now so they might want to move him for a more veteran piece. The Pacers have a few other things to keep in mind as well. They have two picks in the upcoming draft including a first rounder who would have a guaranteed contract at No. 23. Plus they have to decide what to do at center beyond Turner. Isaiah Jackson, who has spent all season rehabbing from an Achilles tendon tear suffered on Nov. 1, will be a restricted free agent. Thomas Bryant is an unrestricted free agent and Tony Bradley has a club option on the two-year deal he signed in March after multiple 10-day deals. The Pacers can't keep all of those players, but they probably need to keep two of them to maintain a functional bench. Still, keeping an anchor at center is critical to keeping the Pacers at a championship level and it's hard to imagine them finding a better one than Turner. It's impossible to imagine them getting one more emotionally invested in the franchise. Keeping a championship caliber roster together isn't cheap, so the Pacers will likely have to figure out how to navigate the collective bargaining agreement landscape as a luxury tax payer.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
NBA rumors: Hawks join Pistons as Myles Turner free agency suitor
The post NBA rumors: Hawks join Pistons as Myles Turner free agency suitor appeared first on ClutchPoints. Throughout these playoffs, Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner has become one of the prominent faces in the NBA. The Pacers have made a run all the way to the NBA Finals, tearing through the Eastern Conference on their way to a matchup against the Thunder. Advertisement Turner and the Pacers split the first two games of the finals in Oklahoma City, winning Game 1 of the series at the buzzer after a huge comeback before dropping Game 2 in a blowout on Sunday night. After the series is over, no matter which way it goes, Turner has plenty to think about. He will be a free agent this summer, and many teams will be vying for his services. The Detroit Pistons are expected to be in the mix for Turner, and the Atlanta Hawks are likely to join them according to Grant Afseth of RG Media. 'The Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks are among the teams interested in Turner ahead of free agency, sources tell RG, as both teams look to bolster their frontcourts,' Afseth wrote. It comes as no surprise that teams all over the league are closely monitoring Turner's situation. The 10-year veteran is a valuable piece on both ends and would add multiple dimensions to both the Hawks and the Pistons. His ability to protect the rim is something that both teams are lacking somewhat, and his proclivity to space the floor from the center position was foreign to both of those teams this season. Advertisement Of course, the Pacers will also be trying very hard to keep Turner around. The Texas product has seemingly been in trade rumors for the majority of his career, but the Pacers have continued to hold onto him and see him as a valuable piece to their core. Turner talked after the Eastern Conference Finals about how much he loves being in Indiana and how much Indianapolis means to him, so it will certainly take one heck of an offer to pry him away in free agency. While the Pistons and Hawks will give it their best shot, the Pacers should still be viewed as the front runner to retain the veteran big man. Related: Hornets' 10 worst NBA Draft day mistakes in history Related: NBA rumors: Bill Simmons floats intriguing Darius Garland trade to Nets
