The Milwaukee Bucks’ front office has had a busy offseason as the organization retools the roster due to the uncertainty about the future of franchise player Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Shortly after the Pacers lost Game 7 of the NBA Finals to the Thunder, the Bucks acquired Myles Turner from Indiana. Turner and the Bucks reached an agreement on a four-year deal worth $107 million, ESPN reported.
Turner spent a decade in Indiana, but the NBA’s two-time blocks leader seemed to be at an impasse in Indianapolis.
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While multiple reports indicated the Pacers were initially open to working toward a lucrative contract extension with Turner, the franchise’s position on roster building appeared to change after Tyrese Haliburton’s injured an Achilles tendon in Game 7.
Haliburton is expected to be sidelined for the entire 2025-26 season, raising questions about whether the Pacers would be in a position to compete for a championship in the near future.
Turner spoke to reporters in Las Vegas Saturday when he was officially introduced as a member of the Bucks.
Turner pointed to “alignment issues” between him and the Pacers during his explanation of why he decided to leave the only NBA franchise he had ever played for.
“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 admit it wasn’t easy for him to bolt from the team that selected him in the first round of the 2015 NBA 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 conversations 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.”
