Indiana locked in its future direction with contract extensions for Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam this summer, surrounding them with quality role players like Bennedict Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith and TJ McConnell in coach Rick Carlisle’s designed early-season system. It worked well enough to get the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals a season ago.
Where does that leave Myles Turner, the center who is a free agent after this season? Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan told reporters he wants to keep them around (via Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star).
“We’re big believers in Myles,” Buchanan said. “We want him to be here…
“His development fits our system,” Buchanan said. “He fits in with our point guards. Fits in with Pascal. You see how he fits perfectly into the way we play.”
Turner was third on the team in scoring last season, averaging 17.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots a game last season, shooting 35.8% from 3 (spacing the floor for Haliburton and Siakam’s drives). He is important for this team.
Turner will make $19.9 million this season (he is not extension eligible because it was only a two-year contract. The Clippers’ Ivica Zubac just signed a three-year, $58.6 million extension this offseason, which averages out to about what Turner made this season, and the Pacers probably think Turner wants a healthy increase in that number.
The questions about Turner in Indiana boil down to this: Is Pacers ownership willing to pay the luxury tax? If so, how much? Indiana was under the tax last season, but Haliburton’s cap extension kicks in this season, so they’re right at the tax line (they can easily be under it by the end of the season). Give Turner a healthy boost going forward and the Pacers are a taxing team.
Indiana would also be hard-pressed to find an available center that fits their system better – Turner helps this team win.
Nothing can happen until after the season ends, when the Pacers have an exclusive window to negotiate with Turner (between whenever their playoff run ends and the start of free agency). That’s when things get interesting.
