One of the most surprising moves of this NBA free agency period came when the Milwaukee Bucks landed veteran center Myles Turner, prying him away from the Indiana Pacers in a move few around the league saw coming. Despite Indiana’s best efforts to retain their longtime big man, Turner ultimately chose to move on.
Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard addressed the media, revealing the organization was “fully prepared to go deep into the tax” to keep Turner, per WISH-TV News. “I don’t want to get into the specifics of Myles, because the truth is, he gave 10 great years here. I loved having him here, and I hope I’m friends with him for a long time,” Pritchard said.
“I know this — Herb Simon, Steven Rales, and the Simon family were fully prepared to go deep into the tax to keep him, and we really wanted to do that. We were negotiating in good faith, but in this league, when a player is unrestricted, he has the right to say, ‘That’s the offer I want, and it’s best for my family.’ Again, we were in good-faith negotiations.”
While fans are left wondering what the Pacers’ final offer might have looked like, Turner now heads to Milwaukee after a decade with the franchise that selected him in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft. Pritchard acknowledged the suddenness of the departure, calling it one of the most challenging aspects of the business.
“You can go get [players], but it becomes very challenging, whether through buyouts or trades — and a tip of the cap to Milwaukee for getting it done,” Pritchard continued. “The most important thing is, we were deep in conversations with Myles, and then we saw that he’d accepted an offer with Milwaukee.”
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“That’s the part of this business that’s always tough,” he added. “There are two things I’ve come to understand are fundamental in today’s NBA: change is inevitable, and you have to expect the unexpected.”
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Bucks signed Turner to a four-year, $107 million deal that includes a fourth-year player option and a 15 percent trade kicker. The move pairs Turner with Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee’s frontcourt and significantly boosts the Bucks’ chances of competing for a title in the upcoming seasons.
