Myles Turner inks 4-year, $72 million extension with the Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers and Myles Turner agreed to an extension on Monday before the deadline, locking in the center to a 4-year, $72 million deal.

In an unexpected development right before the tip-off of the 2018-19 season, news arrived Monday that Myles Turner and the Indiana Pacers have agreed to a 4 year, $72 million extension (with incentives) that locks him in the blue and gold through 2023.

With an NBA Twitter filled with anticipation for a possible Jimmy Butler deal, the Pacers took the forefront of Monday’s news cycle with this big news, courtesy of Shams Charania:

Yup, the wait is over. After an offseason in which little traction was reported in terms of a Myles Turner extension, most expected the young center to enter the final year of his rookie deal as is. This changed today, as the shot-blocking star is now under contract for the next four years following the completion of his rookie deal at the end of this year. The time for the Pacers to lock up this deal was running out: the rookie scale extension deadline was at 6 p.m. today.

A couple of hours later, Adrian Wojnarowski clarified the specifics of the deal:

While we don’t know the specifics of Turner’s contract bonuses yet, we can safely assume he’ll be making at least $18 million a year, with the figure shooting up to $20 million if Turner can reach these incentives.

There are two main questions to ask following this move: what does it mean for the Pacers’ cap space going forward? What does it mean for the future of Domantas Sabonis?

As for the cap space, the move is a potentially friendly one given the possibility of an inflated market next summer, when Myles would have fielded offers from teams with money to burn. As for the Pacers’ prospects in free agency in the offseason, it likely won’t change too much.

If Turner doesn’t reach his bonuses, those numbers could be even less damaging to their cap space.

The second question is much more speculative. This deal doesn’t necessarily mean anything on the never-ending Turner vs Sabonis debate. It’s obvious that the Pacers believe in both young big men; all this move confirms is that they weren’t planning on dumping Turner for Sabonis entirely, which was obvious to begin with.

With Turner locked in for 4 years, he’ll be here for the fruits of the labor that has been this quick rebuild from Kevin Pritchard. This isn’t entirely clear for Sabonis yet, as he becomes a restricted free agent in the summer of 2020 if no extension is made.

Could the two play together? We haven’t quite seen it yet, and they didn’t get a lot of run together in the preseason, but it isn’t a lost cause yet. They’re undoubtably the two most promising young players on the roster.

But, if a season goes by and they don’t work together, and another season passes with the same result, Sabonis is too talented to accept less money to stay on the Pacers bench. With Turner’s future secured, Sabonis will likely be the odd man out if the frontcourt duo can’t blend together for significant minutes throughout the season.

More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds

• 2 Studs, 1 dud from gut-wrenching Indiana Pacers loss to Charlotte Hornets
• Handing out early-season grades for Pacers’ Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin
• 3 positives, 2 negatives in Pacers In-Season Tournament win vs. Cavaliers
• 2 positives, 3 negatives from first week of Indiana Pacers basketball
• Should Isaiah Jackson’s days with Indiana Pacers be numbered?

As with any contract extension, the jury is still out on whether the Pacers or Turner got a good deal or not. The Pacers are betting on Turner taking a huge leap forward this season – if he takes the next step into becoming a bona fide star big, Indiana just secured a second cornerstone piece on a sweet, sweet deal (see: Victor Oladipo).

Turner is securing long-term money early, and getting a little bit of a “we expect you to get better” boost. Sure, Turner could have balled out this season and snagged a max deal on the open market, but he also could just as easily stagnate or have continued injury woes. Securing $72-$80 million dollars is huge, and a testament to Turner’s commitment to the future of this new era in the Pacers franchise.

Even if Turner doesn’t pan out as an All-Star, his production as a rim protector as well as a floor spacer will likely make it to where this contract never feels like an absolute burden on the Pacers’ cap space. A talented big who can block shots at an elite level and shoot from deep will always be worth his weight in gold, so the odds that this becomes a regrettable deal down the line are slim.

If Turner becomes the center the Pacers thought he could be when they drafted him in 2015, look out. With two star players penciling in at a mere $41 million under a growing salary cap, Pritchard has quite a bit of flexibility to surround them with the talent it takes to turn potential into success.

Four years from now, this deal will likely look a lot different than it did when it was announced today. It may rank high on Pritchard’s list of best moves. It may be a fair enough deal that Turner mostly earns every cent of. It almost certainly won’t be a gross overpay.