March 21, 2026, 3:59 p.m. ET
- Myles Turner left the Pacers for the Bucks because of a greater contract supply and a sense the Pacers’ entrance workplace undervalued him.
- Turner stated he could not tell his Pacers teammates about his negotiations as a result of it might have jeopardized his free company course of.
- The Bucks signed Turner after waiving and stretching Damian Lillard’s contract, however the workforce has struggled this season.
Former Pacers heart Myles Turner went on the DawgTalkPod with NBA participant Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and host Jordan McGruder and defined why he left the Pacers for the Bucks in free company final offseason and didn’t share what was taking place with his former Pacers teammates.
Turner stated that, with the Pacers reaching the NBA Finals and him being the one free agent, he was considering, “It’s my turn.”
“Prime of my career, prime money-making opportunity,” Turner stated. “I was told all year they’d go into the luxury tax. But (Tyrese Haliburton) goes down (in Game 7 of the NBA Finals with a torn Achilles tendon) and they’re singing a different tune.”
Turner stated the Pacers’ supply was three-year for $60 million. IndyStar reported the supply was 4 years, $95 million.
“They were thinking there was nowhere else to go,” Turner stated of the free agent market.
Milwaukee’s supply was extra … and a shock.
“I couldn’t tell Tyrese (Haliburton), Pascal (Siakam), Obi (Toppin), T.J. (McConnell) or any of those guys what was really going on at the time because, 1, it’s basically a breach when you’re in active negotiations. And, 2, I couldn’t show my hand,” Turner stated. “If I tell them what was up, then, all of a sudden, they tell the front office like, ‘Oh, Myles, you’ve got this going on,’ and that could mess up my whole free-agency process.
“And thoughts you, this was my first time ever being a free agent — an unrestricted free agent. And I was going to take full benefit of that chance. So I needed to cherish that chance to decide on, and I was going to take full benefit of it.”
The Bucks could afford Turner after waiving and stretching Damian Lillard. Milwaukee will pay the $113 million remaining on Lillard’s contract over five years instead of two, a cap hit of $22 million per season. But it then could sign Turner to a four-year, $109-million contract — making it an annual investment of $50 million to acquire the center — as they tried to reload for a playoff run with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
It hasn’t worked out. The Bucks are 28-41 and almost certainly won’t make the play-in tournament as Antetokounmpo has battled injuries throughout the season.
Turner has had one of the worst seasons of his career, shooting a career-low 44.0%, averaging a career-low 5.4 rebounds per game and scoring 12.0 points, his lowest average since his rookie season.
Turner on his ‘Go where you’re celebrated’ comment
In Turner’s introductory news conference with the Bucks he said: “I’m in a metropolis now that wishes to have fun me. And there’s a fantastic quote, ‘Go the place you are celebrated.’ And I really feel that is right here.”
He made an effort to explain that comment:
“There was like feedback that I stated afterwards that individuals form of took and spun for their very own narrative, whatnot. You know, I’m saying like I’m in a spot that’s going to understand me now,” Turner said on the podcast. “I was speaking concerning the entrance workplace however they within the metropolis of (Indianapolis) took it on them like, ‘Oh, we respect you for years. The (expletive) are you speaking about?'”
Myles Turner didn’t think he would be drafted by the Pacers
Turner said his dream was to go in the top 10 of the NBA draft and he expected to be picked fifth by Orlando, but the Magic took Mario Hezonja, who averaged just 6.9 points in a five-year career. Then he expected to go 10th to Miami but it took Justice Winslow, who would average 8.2 points in an eight-year career.
“My agent begins sweating,” Turner said. “‘I do not know what is going on to occur. You would possibly slip.’
“Got the call at No. 11 to go to Indiana. Still a lottery pick. Everything happened how it was supposed to.”
