Recent reports reveal why Myles Turner decided to leave the Indiana Pacers and continue his NBA journey with the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite spending a decade of his career with the Pacers and helping the team make it all the way to the 2025 NBA Finals, Turner decided to leave the Eastern Conference champions and join their rival.
While many fans assumed that the Pacers were willing to pay the luxury tax to keep their core intact, the organization’s contract negotiations with Turner did not go as planned, and the star center decided to take his talents to the Bucks and contend for an NBA championship alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Myles Turner Left the Pacers for Just Around $3 Million
Usually, contract negotiations are kept behind closed doors and not disclosed to the public. As a result, fans had no way of knowing that the Pacers offered Turner just around $22 million over three years. However, the Pacers’ star clearly felt that he was worth more and decided to reject this offer. He ended up signing a four-year contract with the Bucks for $107 million.
“According to a league source who spoke to RG, the Pacers were unwilling to offer Turner more than four years or $22 million annually. RG has learned that Turner would have stayed in Indiana for $25 million per year, but the organization wouldn’t budge on the amount, offering a three-year, $66 million contract. No player option was offered for a fourth year.
“Offering Turner less than $25 million prompted him to enter free agency and look for a better deal, “With neither side able to come to terms, the Pacers had intentions to sign-and-trade Turner to whichever team courted him. Instead, the Bucks came to Turner on Tuesday morning with ‘an offer that was hard to turn down,’ per the source.”
The Bucks decided to capitalize on this opportunity to acquire him.
“Milwaukee was willing to go four years for $107 million on a contract, but a player option in the final season and a 15% trade kicker were what sealed the deal for Turner. Everything came together quickly, and it was as much of a surprise to Pacers fans and the basketball world as it was to Turner’s camp. While emotions will certainly run high in the coming weeks as Turner steps outside Indianapolis for the first time in his NBA career, the 29-year-old is eager for his next phase.”
While Turner may have had an impact on the Pacers’ success in their most recent postseason, he underperformed in their Finals series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. As a result, the Pacers were unwilling to commit to a long-term deal, urging him to join the Bucks. Fans are left wondering how the Bucks and Pacers will perform next season and who was in the “right” regarding these contract negotiations.