The jury is still out on whether this is the right call or not, but regardless of how some Indiana Pacers fans feel, the team must re-sign Myles Turner, especially after not drafting a big man on Thursday night.
Turner is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and though it seemed like a no-brainer to bring him back earlier in the year, things slightly changed following his poor NBA Finals campaign.
Re-signing the Texas native now has some more risk involved than it initially seemed. Turner is likely to demand at least $30 million/year in his new contract, which will put the Pacers in a bit of a financial crunch. Furthermore, given his latest outings, it became increasingly more difficult for the team to justify paying him this much.
Still, despite a horrendous stretch when the team needed him the most, Indiana must re-sign Turner, and they need to do it ASAP.
Pacers must re-sign Myles Turner before it is too late
Turner's flaws were exposed in the NBA Finals, and it is fair to wonder how different things would have been if the Pacers had a different big man out there. However, there are few big men in the NBA who possess the skillset Turner has (particularly pertaining to his ability to stretch the floor and protect the rim), and he would be an asset on just about any team he is on. If the Pacers let the 29-year-old walk, there will be a plethora of teams interested in his services, so the team must re-up his contract as soon as they can.
Though Turner did not have a good run in the NBA Finals, he is still a key reason the Pacers made it that far in the first place. He is a fantastic fit in the frontcourt alongside Pascal Siakam, and he is the perfect center for Rick Carlisle's system. Moving on from their long-time big man (especially for nothing in return in free agency) would be a disastrous move for the team, especially since they would have nobody to replace him.
The Pacers did walk away with one big man after the draft: UConn's Samson Johnson, who the team signed as an undrafted free agent. There is a lot to like about the Pacers signing Johnson, especially because he is a multi-time NCAA Champion. However, he is not in any position to take on a big role in Indiana during his rookie season, and he is even more certainly not going to be able to replace Turner right away.
There are plenty of other decisions the Pacers need to make this summer, particularly regarding their needs at center. However, re-signing Turner should be at the top of the list. They have no clear upgrade, and another team is going to pounce on the chance to add him to the mix if Indiana hesitates.
With free agency set to kick off in just a couple of days, Pacers fans will want to keep a close eye on the latest news and developments. More specifically, they will need to closely monitor Turner's status, who, if all goes right, will return to Indiana for his 11th season with the team.