In a move that sent shockwaves across the NBA on Tuesday morning, the Milwaukee Bucks reportedly agreed to a four-year, $107 million contract with former Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner. To create the necessary salary cap space for this significant signing, the Bucks waived future Hall of Famer Damian Lillard, an All-Star during his two seasons in Milwaukee, who was still owed over $110 million for the final two years of his contract.
Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers lost their longest-tenured player shortly after reaching their first NBA Finals in 25 years. With Turner as a key piece, the Pacers had eliminated the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs in each of the previous two seasons.
Leading up to Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Indiana appeared poised to enter the next season as a potential favorite in the Eastern Conference. However, Tyrese Haliburton`s torn Achilles injury and now Turner`s departure have fundamentally altered the Pacers` position in the wide-open East race. This conference is currently fronted by teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks and has become even more unpredictable following a series of recent transactions by the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic.
The Bucks, by acquiring Turner, believe they have positioned themselves back into that competitive mix. This deal represents another calculated risk taken by the franchise to maximize the championship window of their superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo. This article examines the various consequences of Milwaukee`s surprising decision – a move expected to have ripple effects throughout the league – and how league insiders are reacting.
What This Means for the Milwaukee Bucks
With Giannis Antetokounmpo anchoring the team, the Bucks consistently face immense pressure to contend for championships. Following three consecutive first-round playoff exits, including a dominant five-game defeat to the Pacers this spring, that pressure has only escalated.
During that series, Lillard suffered an Achilles tear, leaving Milwaukee with a substantial financial commitment on their roster this season and limited draft assets to improve. Antetokounmpo has publicly stated his ambition to win multiple titles, and it was reported earlier this summer that he planned to closely monitor the team`s strategic moves while evaluating whether Milwaukee remained the most viable path to contention.
Rather than merely re-signing most of their existing players – with the exception of center Brook Lopez, who finalized a deal with the LA Clippers the previous night – the Bucks executed the most surprising move of the offseason, securing a player viewed as a younger equivalent to Lopez.
However, Tuesday`s transaction was startling for multiple reasons: the acquisition of Turner itself, and the method used to achieve it – waiving Lillard and stretching the remaining $112 million on his contract. Despite Turner`s quality as a player, stretching such a significant amount of salary to generate cap space was not viewed favorably by many rival executives.
“Reckless,” one executive commented.
“That`s the kind of move you convince yourself is necessary in the boardroom in July when you feel you have no other options,” another executive remarked. “You turn a difficult situation into a worse one. In a couple of years, they`ll look back and question what they were thinking.”
Turner played a crucial role in Indiana`s journey to the Finals, providing the Pacers with the sought-after combination of rim protection and 3-point shooting from a seven-footer. Interestingly, Brook Lopez offered a similar skill set for Milwaukee over the past few years, making him an ideal frontcourt partner for Antetokounmpo.
While Turner is eight years younger than Lopez, their statistical production last season was remarkably similar. Yet, Turner is now earning three times Lopez`s salary. This is before factoring in the more than $22 million per year in roster charges that Milwaukee will carry for the next five seasons due to the decision to waive and stretch Lillard`s contract.
Once a team chooses to stretch a player`s salary, the decision is irreversible. The Bucks cannot trade or reduce this salary obligation; it remains on their books until fully paid off. In essence, the Bucks are effectively paying over $50 million annually for the privilege of having Turner on their roster. The team has yet to find a direct replacement for Lillard`s offensive production, which averaged 24.9 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 38% from beyond the arc. Last season, this roster finished fifth in the Eastern Conference.
What This Means for the Indiana Pacers
Throughout their playoff run, Indiana had indicated an intention to re-sign Turner, who had spent his entire 10-season career with the team and had become a foundational presence in their locker room.
Re-signing him would have pushed the team into the luxury tax threshold, a territory the Pacers have avoided for 20 years. Every time Indiana suggested they were prepared to pay the tax, rival teams questioned whether this was genuine intent or simply posturing to depress the market for Turner – who was arguably the most desirable unrestricted free agent center available in a year with limited cap space league-wide.
Ultimately, no one anticipated the Bucks creating salary cap space specifically to sign Turner. Once they did, they had the financial flexibility to outbid Indiana. The Minnesota Timberwolves` signing of center Naz Reid to a five-year, $125 million contract the week prior had already complicated negotiations between the Pacers and Turner. Turner, as a starter on a Finals team, legitimately felt he was worth more annually than Reid, who served as a backup big man for Minnesota.
Although Turner is coming off one of the strongest seasons of his career, he did struggle in the later rounds of the playoffs, particularly in the Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he averaged 10.6 points on 37.7% shooting overall and just 21.4% from three. Nevertheless, his specific blend of skills is rare among NBA big men, and it`s a profile the Pacers currently lack on their roster.
As one rival assistant coach incredulously remarked on Tuesday afternoon, “Why didn`t they pay him?”
While Indiana`s immediate prospects have taken a significant hit with both Haliburton`s injury and Turner`s departure, this situation could potentially benefit the franchise`s future trajectory. With Haliburton expected to miss likely all of next season and the Pacers retaining control of their first-round draft pick in 2026, the team could benefit from a higher draft selection if they experience a dip in performance until Haliburton is ready to return.
So, what`s next for the Pacers? They extended a qualifying offer to Isaiah Jackson – a dynamic center who suffered an Achilles tear in November – making him a restricted free agent, suggesting he will likely be part of their center rotation next season. The pool of available options to replace Turner from free agency is now quite limited, as several prominent names signed early. The most notable remaining player is former No. 1 draft pick Deandre Ayton, who was recently bought out of the final year of his contract by the Portland Trail Blazers. Coincidentally, Indiana was the team that originally signed Ayton to an offer sheet in the 2022 offseason before the Phoenix Suns matched it.
How This Impacts Giannis Antetokounmpo`s Future
Teams have been monitoring whether Antetokounmpo would request a trade from Milwaukee since 2020. That year, Bucks General Manager Jon Horst made his first major deal for an impact player, acquiring Jrue Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans to help persuade Antetokounmpo to remain, a move that contributed significantly to the Bucks winning the NBA title the following season. Three years later, Horst utilized Holiday as a central piece in the package to acquire Lillard from Portland.
Now, it appears Horst has successfully made a third significant move by securing Turner. Turner is expected to continue providing the critical floor spacing and rim protection alongside Antetokounmpo that is necessary to maximize his unique talents. Antetokounmpo is under contract for $54.1 million this upcoming season and $58.4 million in 2026-27, with a player option for $62.7 million in 2027-28.
Antetokounmpo finished the regular season strongly, essentially operating as the team`s primary playmaker while Lillard was sidelined by a blood clot in his calf for the final month. It seems clear that Antetokounmpo will reprise this `point forward` role next season. This is a responsibility that has appealed to Antetokounmpo in the past, particularly as he compares himself to other elite players who function as the central hub of their team`s offense.
“I always felt like that would be my last phase,” Antetokounmpo said in April after the playoff loss. “As a guy that can playmake and can set up a team, be like a legit point forward out there.”
During the final weeks of the season without Lillard, Antetokounmpo posted remarkable averages: 33.4 points, 15.6 rebounds, and 6.6 assists while shooting 60% from the field. He could potentially replicate these numbers next season, given how frequently the ball will be in his hands.
This heightened workload could potentially put Antetokounmpo in contention for a third Most Valuable Player Award, provided he can lead Milwaukee to enough victories and stay healthy under what will be an immense burden, even by his standards. Sources close to the situation reportedly indicate that both Antetokounmpo and Turner are enthusiastic about the opportunity to play alongside each other.
What About Damian Lillard?
This marks a rather abrupt conclusion to Lillard`s two-year stint in Milwaukee and his pairing with Antetokounmpo. This star duo never quite reached the lofty expectations set when they first joined forces in the summer of 2023. The Bucks held a 73-43 record in the regular season when both Antetokounmpo and Lillard were on the court together, but they only played in three playoff games as a duo – the last of which resulted in Lillard`s Achilles tear.
While it might seem an anticlimactic end to Lillard`s time in Milwaukee, the situation arguably provides him with the most favorable outcome for his future career. While current expectations suggest Lillard may not sign with any team for the 2025-26 season, he is now guaranteed to receive all the money owed to him. Crucially, he will have the next 12 to 18 months to focus on rehabbing his injury before having the unprecedented opportunity to choose his next destination for the first time in his career as an unrestricted free agent.
Although Lillard is now a free agent, there are few compelling reasons for any team to rush to sign him immediately, nor for him to actively seek a deal right now. Any team *could* sign him now, but they would only possess his non-Bird rights. This means they would be limited to offering him only a small salary increase without needing significant cap space or a salary cap exception next summer. Furthermore, unlike other sports with more contract structure flexibility, the NBA`s collective bargaining agreement places strict limits on year-over-year salary increases in multiyear contracts. This prevents a team from offering Lillard a minimum salary this season with the plan for a substantial balloon payment in the 2026-27 season once he is healthy.
Impact on Other Teams Across the League
Let`s revisit a trade that perhaps didn`t receive extensive attention during the NBA Finals: the Pacers sent the 23rd overall pick in this year`s draft to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Indiana`s own 2026 first-round pick, which New Orleans had previously acquired from the Toronto Raptors as part of the Brandon Ingram trade several months prior.
It was somewhat unusual, though not entirely unprecedented, for Indiana to make a trade while actively competing in the Finals. However, it also raised questions about why the Pelicans were willing to swap a pick in the 20s for one that had a significant chance of improving in value the following season.
Importantly, that trade occurred *before* Haliburton`s torn Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. That injury made it highly probable that the Pacers would finish outside the top tier of NBA teams next season.
In retrospect, that initial trade looks considerably worse for New Orleans. The Pelicans subsequently made what many view as a reckless transaction using that 23rd pick, attaching an unprotected first-round selection – specifically, the better of New Orleans` and Milwaukee`s 2026 picks – to the Atlanta Hawks to move up to 13th overall and draft Maryland big man Derik Queen. Now, with both Haliburton injured and Turner no longer with the team, Indiana`s own 2026 pick has become significantly more valuable and promising.
Had the Pelicans not made that initial trade with Indiana, they might not only be holding onto their own 2026 first-round pick – currently projected to be a mid-lottery selection at minimum – but they could potentially have had a second lottery pick from Indiana, whose pick was top-four protected and was looking very likely to convey. It`s been a tough week for Pelicans fans, to say the least.
