Perhaps the most shocking move of the NBA offseason so far came when it was announced the Milwaukee Bucks would be signing big man Myles Turner. Leading up to that moment, it was a foregone conclusion that Turner would return to the Indiana Pacers with a new, lucrative contract, one that would see the Pacers paying the luxury tax for the first time since 2005. All reporting indicated Indiana was completely fine paying the tax to retain Turner.
However, circumstances changed after Tyrese Haliburton’s devastating Achilles tear in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Haliburton’s injury not only zapped the life out of Indiana’s title odds in that decisive Game 7 that the Oklahoma City Thunder eventually went on to win — it completely altered the Pacers future. Instead of trying to get back to the NBA Finals next season with primarily the same roster, Indiana had to think about the big picture, which meant Turner became collateral damage as the Pacers weren’t as comfortable paying the tax for a team that wouldn’t be contending next season.
Instead of suiting up for the only franchise he’s ever played for, Turner will be wearing Bucks green next season, something that may take some getting used to for Pacers fans. While next season is several months away, the Bucks introduced Turner to a crowd of reporters in Las Vegas as most of the league descends on Sin City for summer league. Here are the biggest takeaways from Turner’s introductory press conference.
Alignment issues with Pacers led to signing with Bucks
It was shocking to everyone that Turner signed with Milwaukee, and reports surfaced the Pacers didn’t offer Turner what he wanted for a new contract, which led to him bolting for the Bucks. Although Turner didn’t expound on it a ton, he did note that there were “alignment issues” with him and the Pacers, which led to him signing with the Bucks.
“There were alignment issues, I think on that side, you know, as far as me and them,” Turner said. “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.”
Turner did note that it was a difficult decision to leave the Pacers, having been the longest tenured player on the team after being drafted 11th overall in the 2015 draft.
“There were a lot of decisions that went into it, it wasn’t an easy one,” Turner said. “I spent 10 years of my life in one place. I was a teenager when I got to the Indy market, and when I just sat back and started to evaluate things and just see where I was in my career, see where was in my life and what I wanted for myself, I just kind of saw what the Bucks were putting together. And I was excited about the opportunity. I had great conversation with Doc [Rivers] and Jon [Horst], and obviously my agent as well, and my family. And I think we just all decided, and ultimately I decided that, this is where I needed to be.”
Turner also mentioned that he was “very open” to the idea of playing for a different team, so it sounds as though this decision was about more than just not getting enough money from Indiana.
Bucks provided opportunity to stay competitive
As mentioned, a lot of the reporting around Turner’s decision to leave Indiana centered on the Pacers not offering enough money to retain him. There’s certainly some truth to that, but on Friday Turner talked about how Milwaukee provided an opportunity to remain competitive. When asked if Haliburton’s injury led to his decision to leave Indiana, Turner didn’t directly answer it, but he did respond in a way to suggest that it may have played at least a small role.
“Being in the NBA Finals is something that was one of the greatest learning experience I’ve ever had,” Turner said. “You just realize how hard it is to get there, how hard it is to win, just how mentally exhausting it is, physically, everything. It’s just one of the best experiences in my entire life. And the only thing that went into this decision was to get that experience once again, and I saw a fit and opportunity here to make that happen.”
Turner also said that the biggest factor in his decision was “staying competitive,” which in a roundabout way you could assume that — given Haliburton’s injury keeping him sidelined for next season — he didn’t think the Pacers would provide that opportunity.
“Ultimately, it was about just staying competitive,” Turner said. “Two years ago, got to Eastern Conference Finals. Obviously, last year we got to the NBA Finals. But being there, being part of it, winning basketball has just changed my entire perspective on this league, and I saw a chance to remain competitive here. Jon [Horst], even Doc [Rivers] has assured me that winning is a top priority here, and we just align with our visions.”
It sounds as though Turner didn’t want to essentially burn a year of his prime waiting for the Pacers to get fully healthy again in order to get back to the NBA Finals. Couple that with the fact that Indiana wasn’t willing to give him a contract in the range of what he wanted, and it makes sense why he decided to leave.
Excitement around playing alongside Giannis
On paper, a frontcourt of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Turner is as formidable as they come. Turner can spread the floor out to the 3-point line, allowing Antetokounmpo to still operate with a maximum amount of space, while also giving the Bucks a replacement rim protector with Brook Lopez signing with the Clippers. We’ll see how that duo works out in actuality, though coach Doc Rivers is thrilled about the prospect of strategizing around those two.
“I told Myles just if you could sit down before free agency started and draw the perfect fit next to Giannis, it was a picture of him,” Rivers said. “…The fit is perfect, and not only that, we wanted to get younger. We’ve done that. Myles just turned 29, so in one swoop, we’re a younger basketball team where we want to play at a better pace, which we started doing. It’s just all these things all came together. So yeah, I’m thinking about it now, and I’ll think about it all summer.”
Turner was also excited about the prospect of no longer having to play against Antetokounmpo, but also playing with a veteran group of guys.
“I was tired of taking them damn shoulders and elbows in my chest from someone that’s as forceful as he is,” Turner said. “It’s a rarity in this league that you get to be alongside a generational player. Arguably one of the greatest players to play this game. But not even that, I just look at this roster and how it’s tooled, and I competed against these guys for the past two seasons. There was a respect from afar about how they went about their business. My former team we were young and hungry, and I look at this team as a veteran group of guys that want to win by any means necessary. Just battling them in a series it just woke something up in me a little bit; I was just kind of curious to see what that would be like.”
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