Tyrese Haliburton addressed Myles Turner’s exit from the Indiana Pacers and his thoughts on the move to the rival Milwaukee Bucks.
The Indiana Pacers didn’t expect this offseason to be such a monumental one for them. After a brilliant run to the NBA Finals, Pacers fans expected their roster to stick around.
That didn’t end up happening. In one of the biggest shocks in free agency, Myles Turner left the Pacers to join the Milwaukee Bucks.
It came out later that the Pacers lost Turner to the Bucks over a contract dispute, allowing the Milwaukee front office to capitalize.
Turner hinted at some bad blood between him and the Pacers. But now we know how his former teammate, Tyrese Haliburton, feels about the move.
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty ImagesTyrese Haliburton happy for Myles Turner, but wishes he wasn’t joining Milwaukee Bucks
Tyrese Haliburton made an appearance on the Self-Made YouTube channel recently. While most of the discussion centered around Haliburton’s love of WWE, he did discuss the Myles Turner move.
When a fan asked for his opinion on Turner leaving, Haliburton wished his former teammate well. While he doesn’t like that he joined the Bucks, he doesn’t hold a grudge.
“Good question. I’m happy for the man. The thing about the NBA is, there’s only so many of us. You want to see dudes get paid, you want to see dudes be able to take care of their families.
“He’s able to do that. He’s a guy I got to play alongside for a long time, and we grew a great relationship. Obviously, seeing him go to Milwaukee, I don’t like to see that. I don’t want to see him in Milwaukee.
However, for all of the positivity, Hali did promise an intense showdown with the Bucks when they play each other next season.
Indiana Pacers vs. Milwaukee Bucks will be an intense showdown
Speaking further on the matter, Haliburton noted that Turner’s departure adds another layer of intensity to the rivalry between the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks.
“It is what it is, and there will be smoke when we see them, like there would be anyway. Basketball is a competition, but it is still love.
“I had a Tweet queued up when he left… I was about to tweet that with Milwaukee, but I was like ‘nah…’ You know how it is, I’m just going to leave it alone. Good for him, wish him the best.”
Myles Turner undoubtedly makes the Milwaukee Bucks a strong team. While the fit between him and Giannis could pose problems, the positives he brings to the side far outweigh the negatives.
But could Turner regret leaving the Indiana Pacers? The numbers show Haliburton’s arrival boosted Turner’s performances.
What should give the Bucks pause is that they don’t have a ball-handler or distributor nearly at the level of Haliburton, especially after they waived Damian Lillard to complete the signing.
While the intensity during the next Pacers-Bucks showdown will be off the charts, it’s all love between Turner and Haliburton.