LAS VEGAS (AP) \u2014 Myles Turner wants to keep contending for NBA titles. That\u2019s why he decided to challenge an old cliche, one that he doesn\u2019t think is particularly accurate.<\/p>\n
The Milwaukee Bucks formally introduced Turner \u2014 the most significant free agent who switched addresses this summer \u2014 on Friday. Turner had spent the entirety of his 10-year NBA career with the Indiana Pacers, who went to the NBA Finals this past season and lost Game 7 of the title series to the Oklahoma City Thunder.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate when they say the grass can\u2019t be greener on the other side,\u201d Turner said. \u201cI\u2019m confident enough to say the grass is going to be greener wherever I go.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019ll be greener, anyway: The Bucks have green as their primary uniform color.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy girlfriend told me I look good in green,\u201d Turner said.<\/p>\n
He makes Milwaukee younger and likely a bit more versatile. Brook Lopez, who is 37, was Milwaukee\u2019s starting center this past season. Turner is only 29, and even though he\u2019s played 10 seasons already may now just be coming into his prime.<\/p>\n
Bucks coach Doc Rivers is already convinced that pairing Turner \u2014 someone Milwaukee was able to get because it used the waive-and-stretch provision on the final two years and $111 million on Damian Lillard\u2019s contract with the team \u2014 will work wonders alongside a generational talent like former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you could sit down before free agency started and draw the perfect fit next to Giannis, it was a picture of him,\u201d Rivers said, pointing to his new center, seated a couple of feet to his right. \u201cI don\u2019t think people get how hard it is to win enough. Just, people don\u2019t get it. Myles and I started talking about it … and I said, \u2018Yeah, winning is hard, man. And it takes everything out of you, and everything has to go right. Health and playing together and the team meshing and the right shot. It just takes so much.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The Pacers know that \u2014 all too well.<\/p>\n
Haliburton had made three quick 3-pointers in Game 7 of the finals, and the score was tied at 16 when he tried to make a move about seven minutes into the first quarter. He blew out his Achilles tendon on the play and will be sidelined for the entirety of the 2025-26 season. And that likely means the Pacers won\u2019t be title-contending next season, which surely played some sort of role in Turner\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t get into much of the specifics of his thought process.<\/p>\n
\u201dThere were alignment issues I think on that side as far as me and them,\u201d Turner said. \u201cOut of respect to their organization, out of respect for this organization. I\u2019m not going to speak on that too much. But again, this was just the best decision for me moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turner averaged 14.1 points and 6.8 rebounds in his 10 seasons with the Pacers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got the best player in the world, we have the best coach in the world, and we have a system in place that can maximize Giannis\u2019 talent, and now we have the best counterpart next to him that maximizes talent even more,\u201d Bucks general manager Jon Horst said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s the whole reason why we\u2019ve done what we\u2019ve done, and what we\u2019re going to continue to do each and every time we get the chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
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