Myles Turner sent shockwaves through the NBA when he decided to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks right as they waived Damian Lillard, and at least one member of the Indiana Pacers’ brass was just as shocked as the rest of us.
According to James Boyd of the Athletic, Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard found out about the signing on social media, when ESPN insider Shams Charania broke the news.
We would have been open on a sign-and-trade because it’s sort of mutually beneficial, but we didn’t get to that point, unfortunately,” Pritchard said. “I saw Shams tweet it, and that’s how I knew that Myles was taking (the Bucks’ offer). … I think that there was a number he was trying to hit, and I think we were in the ballpark, but that’s my opinion. It must not have been for him.”
Pritchard added more context to the situation, noting how surprised he was with the suddenness of Turner’s decision.
I was shocked,” Pritchard said of Turner’s departure. “If I’m being perfectly honest, again, I thought we were kind of going back and forth in an open way. We’ve done big deals with that agency, and they’re great guys, and we’ll be doing more business with them. But Myles must’ve heard something in that (Bucks offer) that said, ‘I’m gonna take it right now.’”
Turner will fill a necessary void for the Bucks in the post following Brook Lopez’s departure to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Bucks and Pacers are known for having a heated rivalry in the Central Division.
