Rick Carlisle Breaks Silence on Indiana Pacers Losing Myles Turner

Rick Carlisle Breaks Silence on Indiana Pacers Losing Myles Turner originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Leaving up until the minute Myles Turner signed with the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency, the ten-year veteran was wholly expected to re-sign with the Indiana Pacers, where he had spent his entire career.

Turner inked a four-year, $107 million deal with the Bucks, and there were reports that the Pacers were only willing to offer $23 million per year.

Team president Kevin Pritchard suggested that the team, and ownership, were more than willing to go into the luxury tax to keep Turner, although he walked, and they didn’t find out until the news was initially broken by ESPN.

Rick Carlsile took the high road, not blaming Turner but rather the environment created by fierce negotiations.

“I think what probably happened, and this is part of negotiation in any sport, a team will say, hey, look, we have this offer, it’s this much over this many years. But if we make this offer, we need to know that you’re gonna take it and not shop it,” explained Carlisle on the Green Light podcast. “I believe that’s what probably happened with Milwaukee. They just jumped at it, and there was never, there’s never a chance to counter. Those things happen. And when they do, you just gotta keep going.”

If the head coach is right, Turner never would have had a chance to see if the Pacers would have matched the offer, as the Bucks put him on the clock with a “take it or leave it” deal.

Of course, the reaction from his former teammates suggests that it was an open secret in the locker room that he was planning on leaving long before the offseason officially kicked off.

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 9, 2025, where it first appeared.

Rick Carlisle Breaks Silence on Indiana Pacers Losing Myles Turner

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