Heading into the NBA trade deadline earlier this month, there was actually some speculation that the Indiana Pacers -- who appear to be legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference -- would move Myles Turner.

It seemed like a pretty ridiculous notion given the Pacers' surge up the standings since mid-December, but given the fact that Turner is slated to hit free agency and Indiana may not be able to afford him, some felt the Pacers might strike while the iron was hot and try and recoup some value for the big man before potentially losing him for nothing over the summer.

Of course, Indiana held onto Turner, and general manager Chad Buchanan has set the record straight concerning the Pacers' defensive anchor.

"It's almost comical," Buchanan said during an appearance on the Setting the Pace podcast. "I'm reading the Myles Turner trade rumors out there at the trade deadline and I'm just, 'Where in the world do the people get this information?' Sometimes we as a front office sit back and laugh because it's unreal where some of this information comes from."

Turner's name has been mentioned in trade speculation in previous years, but Indiana has never appeared all that close to moving him. The 28-year-old is averaging 15.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks over 30.6 minutes per game on 47.1/39.6/75.5 shooting splits this season. He also owns a plus-2.1 net rating on the year.

The University of Texas product was originally selected by the Pacers with the 11th overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft and has been a staple in their lineup ever since. It may ultimately prove difficult to retain him this offseason, especially after handing Pascal Siakam a max deal last summer, but Indiana seems pretty confident that it will be able to bring Turner back into the fold for next season and beyond.