NBA free agency officially begins on Monday night at 6 PM EST, and Indiana Pacers fans will be on the edge of their seat to see what is next in store for unrestricted free agent Myles Turner. However, according to the latest reports, Pacers fans will not have to wait long as the expectation is that the two sides will come to terms on a new deal on Monday.
In the latest report from The Stein Line (subscription required), NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported that there is anticipation heading into the first day of free agency that the Pacers will officially re-sign Turner. They did not, however, specify what a new deal might look like.
"There is actually another free agent center we didn't mention in the item above, but pretty much the most common scenario anticipated on Day 1 of free agency is Indiana and Myles Turner coming to terms on a new deal," Stein and Fischer wrote.
While there has been some debate about whether it would be smart for Indiana to bring their long-time big man back in the summer, this development is not much of a surprise. Turner has been with the Pacers since they drafted him in 2015, and he played a big role in the team's NBA Finals appearance this past season.
Nothing is official yet, and there is still a lot of time left for things to change, but as it stands, Turner will likely come back to the Pacers as they aim to return to the big stage sooner rather than later.
The Pacers would be better off re-signing Myles Turner
Not too long ago, it seemed like an obvious decision for the Pacers to re-sign Turner this summer. However, following his poor performance in the NBA Finals, this might no longer be the case.
During the NBA Finals, the Texas native averaged 10.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 1.4 blocks, and 2 turnovers per game. Additionally, he shot 37.7% from the field and 21.4% from the three-point line. He played horribly for most of the series (outside of a few stretches), and his flaws were greatly exposed against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It led to many Pacers fans wondering if the team would be better off signing him to a new contract that would likely move them into the luxury tax, or if they should look elsewhere.
There is no doubt that Turner played poorly during the NBA Finals. When the team needed him most, he struggled to find his shot, and his bad rebounding came back to bite the Pacers many times. However, they never would have made it as far as they did without Turner, who is a perfect fit in Rick Carlisle's system. Furthermore, he is a fantastic frontcourt partner alongside Pascal Siakam, and their games complement each other very well.
Turner is far from a flawless player, but there are very few big men who have the skillset he has. The 29-year-old is among the best at being able to stretch the floor and protect the rim, and there are plenty of other teams who would pounce at the chance to sign him if the Pacers don't.
With free agency set to begin in just a few hours, this will be a crucial storyline for Pacers fans to follow. However, if the latest reports hold true, the team will keep Turner around for a little while longer.