Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard learned of Myles Turner’s defection to the Bucks like every other NBA fan.
“I saw (ESPN’s) Shams (Charania) tweet it, and that’s how I knew that Myles was taken away,” Pritchard said Monday.
Turner, who had spent his whole 10-year career with the Pacers and reportedly wanted to return, signed a four-year, $107 million deal after Milwaukee shockingly waived Damian Lillard and stretched his contract to free up cap space in a move that blindsided the Pacers.
Pritchard was “shocked” to learn of the deal.
“We did not see Milwaukee as that team,” Prtichard said. “We would have been open on a sign-and-trade because it’s sort of mutually beneficial, but we didn’t get to that point, unfortunately.”
There had been questions about the financial lengths the Pacers would go to retain Turner due to the luxury tap implications, but Pritchard indicated that would not have been an issue.
“Herb Simon and Steven Rales and the Simon family were fully prepared to go deep into the tax to keep him, and we really wanted to do that,” Pritchard said. “We were negotiating in good faith.
“But what happens in this league is sometimes you’re negotiating, but because a guy is unrestricted, he has the right to say, ‘That’s the offer I want. I’m gonna take it, and that’s best for my family.'”
While Pritchard acknowledged the reality of free agency, it’s fair to say most did not see the Bucks as potential players for a top free agent.
They moved on from Lillard to do so, which has been met with some pushback through league circles.
NBA podcaster Bill Simmons wondered if the Bucks should have just traded star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo instead of this “desperate” move.
Losing Turner puts the Pacers in a tough spot since they also will be without Tyrese Haliburton for the entire 2025-26 season after he suffered a torn Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
The Pacers are in a similar spot to the Celtics, who are also reshuffling their roster while Jayson Tatum is sidelined with torn Achilles he suffered against the Knicks.