Pacers « shocked » by their center’s departure

The departure of Myles Turner to Milwaukee caught the Indiana Pacers management off guard. Kevin Pritchard, president of basketball operations, revealed Monday that he discovered his star player’s signing with the Bucks the same way NBA fans did: through social media.

Pacers president Kevin Pritchard found out he lost Myles Turner through NBA Twitter, per @RomeovilleKid

« I saw Shams tweet it, and that’s how I knew that Myles was taken away. » pic.twitter.com/0kK8sAhRl0

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 7, 2025

« I saw Shams’ tweet, and that’s how I knew that Myles was gone, » Pritchard told reporters. The executive refers to ESPN’s Shams Charania’s tweet, published July 1st at 11:07 AM, announcing Turner’s agreement with Milwaukee for a four-year, $107 million contract.

Negotiations abruptly ended

This surprise signing ended any chance of Turner staying with the only organization he had known for his first ten seasons. The 28-year-old center had just helped the Pacers reach their first NBA finals in 25 years.

« I was shocked. If I’m being completely honest, I thought we were in open negotiations, » explained Pritchard. « We’ve done big contracts with this agency, they’re great guys and we’ll do business with them again. But Myles must have heard something in that Bucks offer that made him say: ‘I’m going to take this now.' »

The Pacers were in a good financial position. « Herb Simon, Steven Rales and the Simon family were fully prepared to go deep into the luxury tax to keep him, » assured the executive.

Milwaukee creates surprise with cap space

Milwaukee’s move also surprised Indiana with its suddenness. The Bucks created the necessary cap space by releasing star Damian Lillard, a decision that enabled them to attract Turner.

« It was a bit surprising how Milwaukee created this space, » acknowledged Pritchard. « We always say in our conference room: ‘There are teams that have cap space, and ghost teams that have cap space.’ Hats off to Milwaukee for doing this. »

Turner’s contract with the Bucks includes a player option in the fourth year and a complete 15% trade kicker. The Pacers quickly responded by acquiring Jay Huff from the Memphis Grizzlies as a replacement center.