Myles Turner’s free agency decision marks a major shift for both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Indiana Pacers. For the Bucks, Turner brings elite rim protection and floor spacing, making him an ideal frontcourt partner for Giannis Antetokounmpo and reinforcing the franchise’s commitment to contending. For the Pacers, though, Turner’s departure leaves a major defensive and leadership void, especially with Tyrese Haliburton sidelined for the foreseeable future.
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The Pacers’ longest tenured player, Turner was expected to re-sign with the team after a magical playoff run. But Haliburton’s Achilles tear disrupted those plans, leading ownership to hesitate on entering the luxury tax to retain the 29-year-old. Now, Indiana has to face the challenge of finding a new anchor in the paint while dealing with the morale hit of losing a longtime cornerstone to a division rival.
Rick Carlisle was asked whether his former center’s signing with the Bucks made the loss even tougher to swallow. But after noting how often the Pacers have faced Milwaukee over the last two seasons, the veteran head coach made it clear that losing Turner was a major setback, no matter which team he joined.
“Losing Myles Turner is a significant loss for our team,” Carlisle said during his appearance on Green Light with Chris Long. “I mean, the guy’s been a terrific player. He had a great season … We were talking to them, meaning his agent, about returning, and kind of out of nowhere, Milwaukee decided to waive Dame Lillard … and then they created space to sign Myles.”
The 65-year-old stressed that the Pacers were completely blindsided by Milwaukee’s offer. Carlisle believes the Bucks offered Turner a contract with the stipulation that he can’t shop it around for a better deal. As a result, Indiana never had a chance to retain the two-time blocks leader.
“I believe that’s probably what happened with Milwaukee. It was a number. It was a certain number of years, and they just jumped at it and there was never a chance to counter,” Carlisle continued. “Those things happen, and when they do, you just gotta keep going.”
Carlisle praised Turner for earning a lucrative new contract and reflected on the strong bond they developed during his four seasons coaching the team, making it known that there were no hard feelings toward his former center. He then shared a conversation he had with the stretch five’s new coach, Doc Rivers, before Turner even signed with Milwaukee.
“I got a nice message from Doc Rivers after the playoffs, and Doc’s a longtime friend. And this is before the Myles thing happened. I said to Doc, ‘We’ll see you in the playoffs next year.’ I mean, we play these guys every year, you know,” Carlisle said with a laugh. “We both kind of did the ‘LOL’ thing on text. So, Myles will be fine there.”
Myles Turner will be representing a new city next season, but he’ll still spend plenty of time in Indiana. As division rivals, the Bucks and Pacers are set to meet at least four times during the regular season, and if recent trends hold, they could clash in the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
