In the wake of the Indiana Pacers' NBA Finals loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, coach Rick Carlisle called retaining center Myles Turner the team's "No. 1 priority" in free agency.
It appears that the loss of Tyrese Haliburton for most, if not all, of the upcoming 2025–26 season changed the equation for the Pacers front office.
Turner has signed a four-year, $107 million deal with another Eastern Conference team, the Milwaukee Bucks. The fourth year of the deal—2028–29—is a player option for turner, and the deal features a 15% trade kicker, per Shams Charania.
BREAKING: Free agent center Myles Turner has agreed to a four-year, $107 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, plus a player option for year four in 2028-29 and a full 15% trade kicker, sources tell ESPN. Stunner. pic.twitter.com/MlDkZusVOv
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2025
"Turner, the longest tenured Pacer, made it known he wished to remain in Indiana," Charania added in a follow-up tweet. "Since the Game 7 exit, Turner’s reps pushed to get a deal done. Ultimately, Indiana’s aversion to the tax, which grew after Tyrese Haliburton’s injury, allowed Bucks to get the new franchise center."
The spate of Achilles injuries this season impacted both sides of the signing. While Haliburton's may have ultimately dissuaded the Pacers from bringing Turner back on a nine-digit deal, in order to make the numbers work on their end, Milwaukee is using the stretch provision on Damian Lillard and waiving the star guard. The Bucks are able to sign Turner as a result—a move they have to hope convinces Giannis Antetokounmpo to stick with Milwaukee for the long haul.
Turner, who had been with Indiana for his entire 10-year career to this point after being selected with the No. 11 pick in the 2015 NBA draft, had been in and out of trade rumors during his Pacers tenure, but proved to be a big piece during the team's Finals run in 2025. He averaged 15.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for Carlisle's team in 2024–25, and knocked down a career-high 39.6% of his three-pointers on the year. His numbers dipped in the playoffs and he struggled in the seven-game series loss to the Thunder, averaging 10.6 points and 4.4 rebounds and knocking down just 6 of 28 threes in the Finals.
Turner's biggest impact may be as a rim protector. He led the league in blocks in 2019 and '21, topping out with an impressive 3.4 per game in his second league-leading campaign. Turner blocked two shots per game in both the 2024–25 regular season and playoffs.
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