'Reckless': What league insiders are saying about this stunning set of Bucks moves

The Milwaukee Bucks stunned the NBA beingness Tuesday greeting erstwhile they agreed to a four-year, $107 cardinal declaration with erstwhile Indiana Pacers halfway Myles Turner, the apical escaped cause connected the market.

Milwaukee wasn't a squad with headdress space, yet it created the indispensable country by waiving aboriginal Hall of Famer Damian Lillard, an All-Star successful his 2 seasons successful Milwaukee who was owed much than $110 cardinal implicit the last 2 years of his contract.

The Pacers, meanwhile, mislaid their longest-tenured subordinate aft the franchise reached its archetypal NBA Finals successful 25 years. With Turner successful the lineup, the Pacers knocked the Bucks from the playoffs successful the archetypal circular each of the past 2 seasons.

Before Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Indiana looked arsenic if it would caput into adjacent play arsenic the apt favourite from the Eastern Conference. Tyrese Haliburton's torn Achilles injury, and present Turner's departure, has fundamentally changed wherever the Pacers beryllium successful a wide-open East contention led by the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks, and made overmuch much absorbing by a flurry of moves from the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic.

With Turner, the Bucks judge they are successful that mix, too, erstwhile again swinging a risky woody to maximize superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo's prime. Here's a look astatine the ramifications of Milwaukee's shocking maneuver, 1 that volition person ripple effects crossed the NBA, and however league insiders are reacting.

Grades: Turner to Milwaukee | Free bureau grades

What does this mean for the Bucks?

With Antetokounmpo connected the roster, the Bucks are ever nether unit to win. And, aft losing successful the archetypal circular of the playoffs successful 3 consecutive seasons, including a five-game rout to the Pacers this spring, that unit lone intensified.

During that series, Lillard went down with an Achilles tear, leaving Milwaukee with a $54 cardinal spread connected its roster this play and constricted draught assets to capable it. Antetokounmpo has made nationalist his tendency to triumph aggregate championships, and ESPN's Shams Charania reported earlier this summertime Antetokounmpo was readying to show the team's moves portion considering whether Milwaukee remained his champion way to rubric contention.

So, alternatively than conscionable re-signing astir of their players -- extracurricular of halfway Brook Lopez, who agreed to a woody with the LA Clippers connected Monday nighttime -- the Bucks sprung the astir astonishing determination of the offseason and recovered a younger mentation of Lopez, to boot.

But Tuesday morning's determination was shocking connected aggregate levels -- some for what the Bucks did (landing Turner) and however they did it (waiving and stretching Lillard's remaining $112 cardinal connected his contract).

Though Turner is simply a prime player, stretching specified a staggering magnitude of wealth to make the wage headdress abstraction to motion him wasn't seen favorably by rival executives.

"Reckless," 1 enforcement said.

"That's a determination you speech yourself into successful the boardroom successful July erstwhile you person obscurity other to go," different enforcement said, "and you crook a atrocious concern into a worse one. They're going to look astatine this successful 2 years and say, 'What did we do?'"

Turner played a immense relation successful Indiana's tally to the Finals, giving the Pacers the coveted operation of rim extortion and 3-point shooting from a 7-footer. But Lopez did the aforesaid happening for Milwaukee the past respective years, which is wherefore helium was specified a cleanable acceptable to play alongside Antetokounmpo successful the Bucks' frontcourt.

Turner is 8 years younger than Lopez, but their numbers past play were virtually identical. And he's present making 3 times arsenic overmuch wealth -- and that's earlier you origin successful the much than $22 cardinal successful roster charges that volition present beryllium connected Milwaukee's books implicit the adjacent 5 seasons due to the fact that of the determination to waive and agelong Lillard's deal.

Once a squad stretches the wage of a player, determination is nary turning back. They can't commercialized that salary, oregon trim it successful immoderate way, signifier oregon form. Instead, it is stuck connected their books until it goes away. Essentially, the Bucks are paying much than $50 cardinal a twelvemonth for the close to person Turner connected their roster. The Bucks person yet to find a replacement for Lillard's accumulation -- 24.9 points, 7.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game, and shooting 38% from 3 -- and had a roster that finished 5th successful the East past season.

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Windy: Pacers players should beryllium 'disgusted' by Myles Turner's departure

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What does this mean for the Pacers?

Indiana had been signaling passim their playoff tally that it was going to re-sign Turner, who had spent the archetypal 10 seasons of his vocation with the squad and had go the backbone of their locker room.

However, doing truthful would person meant going into the luxury taxation -- thing the Pacers haven't done successful 20 years. Every clip Indiana would bespeak it was comfy paying the tax, rival teams would question whether that was really the case, oregon whether it was posturing to effort to tamp down connected the marketplace for Turner -- the champion unrestricted escaped cause halfway connected the marketplace successful a twelvemonth wherever determination was precise small headdress abstraction to question out.

But nary 1 saw the Bucks creating wage headdress abstraction to motion Turner. And, erstwhile they did, they could past outbid Indiana's offer. Minnesota signing halfway Naz Reid had already analyzable the Pacers-Turner dialog to a five-year, $125 cardinal declaration past week. Turner, a starter connected a Finals team, justifiably had crushed to judge helium was worthy much than the $25 cardinal yearly worth for Reid, a backup large for Minnesota.

Although Turner is coming disconnected 1 of the champion seasons of his career, helium struggled during the aboriginal rounds of the playoffs and particularly successful the Finals against Oklahoma City, averaging 10.6 points connected 37.7% shooting (21.4% from 3). Still, his skillset is hard to find successful the NBA among large men, and 1 Indiana doesn't person connected its roster.

As 1 rival adjunct manager said this afternoon, incredulously, "Why didn't they wage him?"

But portion Indiana's contiguous has present taken a important deed betwixt some Haliburton's wounded and Turner's departure, it could pb to a affirmative interaction connected the franchise's future. With Haliburton apt sidelined for the year, and the Pacers successful power of their ain first-round draught prime successful 2026, they would payment with a from a higher draught prime if they instrumentality a measurement backmost until Haliburton's acceptable to return.

So wherever volition the Pacers spell from here? They offered Isaiah Jackson, a bouncy halfway who tore his Achilles successful November 2024, a qualifying connection to marque him a restricted escaped agent, meaning helium volition apt beryllium successful their halfway rotation adjacent season. The remaining options to regenerate Turner arsenic escaped agents present are slim, aft respective names went disconnected the committee aboriginal successful escaped agency. The apical 1 remaining is erstwhile No. 1 wide prime Deandre Ayton was bought retired of the last twelvemonth of his declaration by the Portland Trail Blazers this week -- a declaration Indiana really signed him to earlier the Phoenix Suns matched that connection expanse to bring backmost Ayton successful the 2022 offseason.

How does this interaction Giannis Antetokounmpo's future?

Teams person been waiting to spot if Antetokounmpo would take to inquire retired of Milwaukee going each the mode backmost to 2020, erstwhile Bucks wide manager Jon Horst swung his archetypal monolithic woody for an interaction subordinate -- acquiring Jrue Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans -- to assistance person Antetokounmpo to instrumentality around, a determination that helped spur the Bucks connected to the rubric the pursuing season. Three years later, Horst utilized Holiday arsenic a main portion of the bundle to get Lillard from Portland.

Now, it appears Horst has managed to bash truthful a 3rd clip by securing the services of Turner, who volition proceed to supply the indispensable level spacing and rim extortion adjacent to Antetokounmpo that's required to maximize his talents, arsenic Antetokounmpo is nether declaration for $54.1 cardinal this coming play and $58.4 cardinal successful 2026-27 earlier helium has a $62.7 cardinal subordinate enactment for the 2027-28 season.

And aft helium had a beardown adjacent to the regular season, fundamentally playing arsenic the team's constituent defender portion Lillard was dealing with the humor clot successful his calf that knocked him retired for the past period of the regular season, it's wide he's going to beryllium reprising that relation again this season. That has appealed to Antetokounmpo successful the past, particularly arsenic helium compares himself to different large players who tin beryllium the hub of an offense. "I ever felt similar that would beryllium my past phase," Antetokounmpo said successful April aft the Bucks playoff bid loss. "As a feline that tin playmake and tin acceptable up a team, beryllium similar a legit constituent guardant retired there." Over the last fewer weeks of the play with Lillard sidelined, Antetokounmpo averaged a preposterous 33.4 points, 15.6 rebounds and 6.6 assists portion shooting 60% from the tract -- numbers helium could perchance replicate adjacent play with the Bucks, fixed however often helium volition person the shot successful his hands.

That could permission him successful contention to triumph a 3rd Most Valuable Player grant -- if helium tin powerfulness Milwaukee to capable winning and tin enactment connected the tribunal nether what volition beryllium an immense workload, adjacent by his accustomed standards. Still, sources told Charania that Antetokounmpo and Turner are excited to get the accidental to play together.

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What astir Damian Lillard?

It's a alternatively unceremonious ending to Lillard's two-year tenure successful Milwaukee and his concern with Antetokounmpo, a prima duo that ne'er genuinely reached the heights projected erstwhile they joined forces successful the summertime of 2023. The Bucks went 73-43 during the regular play erstwhile some Antetokounmpo and Lillard shared the floor, but they played successful conscionable 3 playoff games unneurotic -- the past of which near Lillard with a torn Achilles.

But, portion it mightiness not look similar a fitting extremity for Lillard's Milwaukee tenure, it arguably gives Lillard the champion imaginable result for his vocation moving forward. While astatine slightest the existent expectation, sources said, is that Lillard won't motion with anyone for the 2025-26 season, helium present volition get each of the wealth owed to him and volition get the accidental to walk the adjacent 12-18 months rehabbing his injury, past choosing his adjacent destination for the archetypal clip successful his vocation arsenic an unrestricted escaped agent.

But portion Lillard is simply a escaped cause now, there's not a batch of reasons for anyone to beryllium rushing to motion him present - oregon for him to unreserved into a deal. Yes, immoderate squad could motion him now, but they would lone person his "non-Bird" rights, meaning they could lone springiness him a tiny rise without utilizing wage headdress abstraction oregon a wage headdress objection adjacent summer. And, dissimilar successful different sports wherever teams person much flexibility implicit however to operation contracts, nether the NBA's corporate bargaining statement year-over-year raises are highly constricted successful multi-year contracts, preventing a squad from offering Lillard a minimum this play and past giving him a balloon outgo for the 2026-27 play erstwhile he's healthy.

How does the Turner signing interaction different teams astir the league?

Let's ellipse backmost to a commercialized that floated nether the radar during the NBA Finals, erstwhile the Pacers sent the 23rd prime successful this year's NBA draught to the Pelicans successful speech for Indiana's ain 2026 archetypal circular prime -- which New Orleans received from the Toronto Raptors a fewer months earlier arsenic portion of the commercialized for Brandon Ingram.

It was absorbing -- but not wholly uncommon -- for Indiana to marque a commercialized portion competing successful the Finals. But it was besides funny wherefore the Pelicans were looking to get a enactment successful the 20s for 1 with astatine slightest immoderate accidental of improving adjacent season.

But that woody happened earlier Haliburton's torn Achilles successful Game 7 of the NBA FInals -- an wounded that made it look apt the Pacers volition decorativeness extracurricular of the apical fistful of teams successful the NBA adjacent season.

In retrospect, that woody looks overmuch worse for New Orleans. The Pelicans went connected to marque 1 of the astir reckless trades successful caller representation utilizing that selection, attaching an unprotected prime that volition beryllium the amended of New Orleans and Milwaukee's selections successful 2026 to the Atlanta Hawks to leap to 13th and draught Maryland large antheral Derik Queen. And with some Haliburton wounded and Turner elsewhere, Indiana's ain 2026 prime conscionable got a batch much promising.

If the Pelicans hadn't made that archetypal trade, possibly they'd beryllium sitting not lone connected their ain prime -- projected to beryllium astatine slightest a mid-lottery enactment -- but they could person had a 2nd imaginable lottery prime from Indiana, whose prime was top-4 protected and precise apt to convey. (Sorry, Pelicans fans. We cognize it's been a agelong week.)