INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said the team was "fully prepared" to go into the luxury tax to retain longtime starting center Myles Turner and was "surprised" by the Milwaukee Bucks' offer to lure him away.
Turner, an unrestricted free agent this summer, agreed to a four-year deal with the Bucks, who created the space to sign him by waiving All-Star Damian Lillard. The move caught Indiana by surprise.
"Again, we were in good-faith negotiations," Pritchard said Monday. "It was a little surprising how Milwaukee created [cap space]. We always say in our conference room, 'There's cap teams that have cap space, and there's shadow teams that have cap space.' ... It becomes very challenging by buying out or making trades, and hat tip to Milwaukee to do that."
Turner had spent his first 10 seasons in the league with Indiana and just helped the team make its first NBA Finals in 25 years. However, a devastating Game 7 Achilles injury that will cost star guard Tyrese Haliburton all of the 2025-26 season cast doubt on Indiana's willingness to go into the luxury tax for Turner's extension.
"I know this, that [Pacers owner] Herb Simon and [minority owner] Steven Rales and the Simon family were fully prepared to go deep into the tax to keep him," Pritchard said. "We really wanted to do that, and we were negotiating in good faith. But what happens in this league is sometimes you're negotiating, but because a guy is unrestricted, he has the right to say, 'That's the offer I want. I'm going to take it, and that's best for my family.'"
Turner eventually reached a $107 million deal with Milwaukee that includes a player option in Year 4 and a full 15% trade kicker.
Indiana pivoted soon after by acquiring backup center Jay Huff from the Memphis Grizzlies, another big man who can stretch the court and protect the rim.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
