In a shocking turn of events, big man Myles Turner has left the Indiana Pacers after 10 years to join the Milwaukee Bucks on a four-year, $107 million deal. Not only did Turner sign with one of the Pacers' biggest rivals, but according to NBA insider Shams Charania, he wanted to remain in Indiana, though they were not willing to pay the luxury tax.
The expectation heading into free agency was that the Texas native would re-sign with the Pacers, with some of the later reports even suggesting it could happen on Day 1. However, Day 1 came and went, and Turner remained on the free agent market.
There were reasons for and against the Pacers signing Turner to a new deal, especially as it was always going to force them into the luxury tax. However, only time will tell if this was the right move or not. But as it stands, the Pacers will now have to replace their center after 10 years less than two weeks after their loss in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Myles Turner signing with a rival is horrible for the Pacers
It was always going to be a bad day in Indiana if Turner left in free agency, but nobody could have prepared for him to join the Bucks while doing so. The Pacers sent the Bucks home in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two years, but it now looks like Milwaukee got the last laugh.
The Pacers are in a weird spot, and it is fair to wonder if they would have been willing to go into the luxury tax if it were not for Tyrese Haliburton's Achilles injury, which will likely sideline him for the entirety of next season. Indiana is not likely to compete for a title next season, and it is probably going to be closer to a gap year for the team. It would have been difficult for the team to justify paying the luxury tax in a year they were not going to be in the title picture. Even so, this Pacers team was just one win away from a championship last season, and it could have been a good move for them to keep their core together as much as possible until Haliburton comes back.
Following the shocking Turner development, the Pacers now have some big decisions to make the rest of the way, and it all starts with trying to figure out how to replace him. Earlier reports have indicated that Indiana may have interest in trading for Phoenix Suns big man Nick Richards, though he is a completely different player compared to Turner and would not be as good of a fit, especially offensively.
Regardless, the Pacers have to do something now that Turner is officially gone. The only question is, what exactly is their Plan B? They didn't draft a big man, there is nobody in the free agency pool that can replace Turner, and there most likely isn't a viable option on the trade market either. Hopefully for them, they find their answer sooner rather than later, because until then, this move is going to continue to look worse for the Pacers as they let their long-time big man join one of their biggest rivals.