People are still stunned by Myles Turner leaving the Indiana Pacers for the Milwaukee Bucks.
It felt like Turner was finally settled in Indiana, especially after they went all the way to the NBA Finals.
But the NBA is a tough business and Pacers fans learned that the hard way.
Writing for ESPN, Tim Bontemps and Jamal Collier spoke about what happened between Turner and the Pacers.
“But no one saw the Bucks creating salary cap space to sign Turner. And once they did, they could then outbid Indiana. Minnesota signing center Naz Reid to a five-year, $125 million contract last week already had complicated the Pacers-Turner negotiations. Turner, a starter on a Finals team, justifiably had reason to believe he was worth more than the $25 million annual value for Reid, a backup big man for Minnesota,” wrote Bontemps and Collier, via NBACentral.
Myles Turner reportedly wanted the Pacers to pay him more than the contract Naz Reid received from the Timberwolves, per @espn
“But no one saw the Bucks creating salary cap space to sign Turner. And once they did, they could then outbid Indiana. Minnesota signing center Naz… pic.twitter.com/8qZu8rOrwG
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 2, 2025
The Bucks were literally incapable of getting Turner, at least at first, because they didn’t have the cap space.
It took some managing and maneuvering but they were able to get it done.
And Turner felt that he deserved more money than was being promised in Indiana, so a new deal from Milwaukee looked very attractive and too good to pass up.
Naz Reid’s recent deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves only encouraged Turner more, because he believed that he was worthy of a bigger paycheck.
In the end, Turner got a great deal and is now playing for a team that could push all the way to a championship.
As for the Pacers, they are without both Turner and Tyrese Haliburton.
It feels like another chance of reaching the Finals may have slipped out of their grasp.
Will this be considered one of the Pacers’ biggest fumbles ever?
NEXT: Brian Windhorst Reveals What Pacers Should Feel After Losing Key Player