LAS VEGAS — Myles Turner broke his silence Thursday via a letter on social media regarding his surprise departure from Indiana to Milwaukee before verbalizing those thoughts Friday at the Las Vegas summer league flanked alongside coach Doc Rivers and general manager Jon Horst.
“For me, ultimately it was about just staying competitive,” Turner said. “Two years ago, we got to the conference finals. Obviously, last year we got to the Finals. Being a big part of winning basketball just changed my entire perspective on this league. I saw a chance to remain competitive here.”
Turner also eyed an opportunity to play alongside two-time MVP and 2021 NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
To make room to acquire Turner on a four-year, $108.9 million deal that includes a player option for 2028-29, Milwaukee waived nine-time NBA All-Star guard Damian Lillard and stretched the remaining $113 million on his contract.
Turner, 29, who was the longest-tenured player for the Pacers (10 seasons) before his departure, connected on a career-high 39.6% from 3-point range this season, in addition to averaging 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks.
“We had multiple paths throughout the course of an offseason,” Horst said. “All our offseason planning prior to [acquiring Turner was] thinking about how can we take this team to the next level? How can we improve? And Myles is sitting there as the best free agent in all the market.
“You looked at ways in which we could potentially get to that and truly take our team, retool it, rethink it, modernize our style of play, impact Giannis and his development, and his growth as a playmaker with that position at the end of the season in the playoffs, and it just was a perfect fit. So, those are big decisions with big financial ramifications, big roster ramifications. But you get comfortable with it because you get a chance to sit this guy and put him on your team and watch those two play together with the rest of our core group that’s built to fit Giannis and maximize his skill set.”
Antetokounmpo’s involvement in the Turner acquisition is unknown. Horst and Rivers insisted the organization has remained in contact with Antetokounmpo throughout the offseason while Turner said he communicated with his new teammate briefly through text messaging.
“I was tired of taking damned shoulders and elbows to the chest all the time,” Turner joked of joining forces with Antetokounmpo. “It’s a rarity to be alongside him. He’s a generational player, arguably one of the greatest players to play this game. I’m sure we’re going to talk here in the weeks to come. I’ve played against Giannis for quite some time now. Very familiar with his game and what he’s capable of. I do see a seamless fit. He’s someone that is able to push the ball, get out in transition, create for people. He’s developed a jumper.
“Defensively, his intangibles are there. I think our fit is going to be a pretty cohesive fit. But not even that, I just look at this roster and I’ve competed against these guys. There’s a respect from afar of just how they go about their business. There’s a reason why guys are there. Gary Trent just signed. Bobby Portis just signed. Taurean Prince just signed. Ryan Rollins just signed. Everybody sees the vision. They didn’t sign just to do it. I just think that there’s a real belief in this organization. I’ve aligned myself with that.”
Turner posted a team-record 46 blocks during Indiana’s run to the NBA Finals. Horst and Rivers viewed the 6-11 center as an ideal fit alongside Antetokounmpo as a floor spacer capable of playing the up-tempo style Milwaukee envisions.
“Giannis came to me the day after the season and we were talking about next season already,” Rivers said. “So, there’s far more talk outside of Milwaukee than there is inside of Milwaukee. Giannis loves Milwaukee. We love Giannis, and it’s been a great relationship. We’ve had some of our young guys in Greece already playing with him. I think we had six or seven guys go down [to Greece], several coaches. So, we are communicating a lot. It’s about next year, and it’s about winning.”
