Myles Turner’s move from the Indiana Pacers to the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason shocked the NBA community. The center, one of the key players in the Pacers’ trip to the Finals last season, was widely expected to re-sign with them.
Advertisement
Turner, however, signed a four-year, $108.8 million deal with the Bucks, who were eliminated by the Pacers in the playoffs for two years in a row. It ended his 10-year stint in Indianapolis, where he had become a household name.
It was sudden: Packing his bags and moving to Milwaukee to play with Giannis Antetokounmpo, leaving behind the love and memories he earned living in Indiana for a decade. Turner revealed that the move was shocking to him as well.
“To be honest, I was very surprised. Anything can happen in this league, right? It’s a business. I’ve been told that my entire life. Anytime my name was brought up in trade rumors, ‘Oh, it’s just a business, just a business.’ And, you know, I made a business decision this offseason,” Turner told SiriusXM NBA Radio.
Turnings words are intriguing. It sounds like he felt like an expendable player on the Pacers roster. Being involved in trade rumors every offseason seemingly got to him, and he didn’t appreciate being treated like someone who hadn’t dedicated his entire career to the team.
So Turner gave the Pacers a reality check, leaving them in the dust. This all makes sense, especially when you consider what Turner said just days after the deal went down.
Turner and the Pacers weren’t in alignment
Turner signed with the Bucks on July 7. Just four days later, he came out with some pretty pointed statements toward his former team. Turner revealed that he didn’t see eye-to-eye with the Pacers organization, which made him want to leave the team.
“There were alignment issues, I think on that side, you know, as far as me and them,” Turner said via CBS. “Just out of respect for their organization, out of respect for this organization, I’m not gonna speak on that too much. But, you know, again, this was just the best decision for me moving forward, and the best fit.”
So, there was a lot more that went on behind closed doors during Turner’s departure from Indiana. This tends to happen when it comes to contract negotiations between a player and a team.
But from the sound of it, the Pacers seem not to have valued their longest-tenured player enough. And, because of that, Turner decided he was done with them. The stunning transaction is going to have massive ramifications this season.
The Pacers, already without an injured Tyrese Haliburton, will most likely struggle to replicate what they did last year. Meanwhile, the Bucks have subtracted an expensive player recovering from an Achilles tear (Damian Lillard) and replaced him with one of the best centers in the league.
There’s a clear winner and a clear loser right now. And Turner finds himself on the right side of it all.
