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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Myles Turner is eager to continue his pursuit of NBA championships. This ambition is part of why he chose to challenge a well-worn saying that he believes is misleading.
On Friday, the Milwaukee Bucks officially welcomed Turner — the most prominent free agent to change teams this summer. For the entirety of his decade-long NBA career, he played with the Indiana Pacers, who reached the NBA Finals last season, only to fall in Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I really dislike the saying that the grass isn’t greener on the other side,” Turner remarked. “I’m confident in stating that it will be greener wherever I find myself.”
And figuratively speaking, it will definitely be greener: the Bucks sport green as their primary color.
“My girlfriend has told me green is a good color on me,” he added.
Turner brings youthful energy and likely greater versatility to the team. Last season, Brook Lopez, aged 37, served as Milwaukee’s starting center, while Turner, at just 29 years old, may be coming into his prime despite his decade of experience.
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers is already optimistic that pairing Turner with a generational talent like former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo will yield fantastic results. Milwaukee acquired Turner after utilizing the waive-and-stretch provision on the final two years and $111 million of Damian Lillard’s contract.
“If you could have crafted the ideal player to fit beside Giannis before free agency kicked off, it would have looked just like him,” Rivers said, indicating his new center, who was seated nearby. “People often underestimate the difficulty of achieving success. Winning is tough, and it demands every ounce from you. Everything has to align: health, teamwork, and the right plays. It’s a monumental task.”
The Pacers are all too familiar with that struggle.
In the final game of the series, Haliburton sank three quick 3-pointers, and with the game tied at 16, he attempted a move roughly seven minutes into the first quarter. Unfortunately, he tore his Achilles tendon on that play and will miss the entire 2025-26 season, which likely impacts the Pacers’ chances of contending for the title next year — a factor that likely influenced Turner’s choice.
He refrained from delving too deeply into his reasoning.
“I think there were some alignment issues between me and them,” Turner stated. “Out of respect for their organization and this one, I won’t go into too much detail. However, I believe this was the best path for my future.”
During his decade with the Pacers, Turner averaged 14.1 points and 6.8 rebounds.
“We have the best player in the world, the best coach, and a system designed to maximize Giannis’s talents, and now we’ve added the perfect counterpart to enhance that talent even further,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst noted. “That’s the core of why we made these moves, and it’s what we’ll continue to do whenever we get the opportunity.”
