Bucks’ Myles Turner ready to move on from Indiana crowd’s 'disheartening' boos in his return

As outraged as Pacers fans were with Turner’s decision to sign elsewhere, the Indiana front office did little to retain him. ESPN reports that Indiana’s offers topped out at around three years, $66 million. The Bucks did everything they could to get him to Milwaukee, while the Pacers pinched pennies.

If there’s anything outrageous about it, it’s expecting him to stay with the Pacers purely out of loyalty when the team clearly did not extend him the same appreciation. This isn’t quibbling over dimes and nickels. It’s a $40 million difference. Yet fans blame Turner for doing what most if not every single one of them would have done in his shoes.

“It’s cool. I take it on the chin. I think a lot of people will say I said things, but I think a lot of people want to formulate their own narratives and spin it to whatever they want it to be. It is what it is. You take it on the chin and just move on.”

The Pacers’ lack of appreciation applies not only to the front office but to the fans themselves. As Turner notes, he was a perennial subject of trade gossip. What did he do to earn such dismissal?

The last three seasons in Indiana, he averaged 16.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks while shooting 51.7% from the field and 37.7% on threes.

Okay, he underwhelmed in the Finals. He didn’t average a double-double and his defense wasn’t quite as good in recent seasons. Still, as a 10-year veteran, he was easily worth more than $22 million per year in free agency. Naz Reid signed for five years, $125 million in Minnesota. Jakob Poeltl signed a four year, $104 million extension.

Simply put: the Pacers weren’t willing to pay him his due and their fans paid the price.

Turner is off to a cold start in Milwaukee, but he looks as sharp as ever defensively and has emerged as a passer. He’s already doing things for the Bucks he never did in Indiana.

In his would-be homecoming, he put up a pedestrian nine points and seven rebounds but also notched five blocks. The Bucks won on a buzzer-beater from Giannis Antetokounmpo, 117-115.

The booing, “D-Fence” chanting fans went pretty quiet after that. Safe to say Turner and the Bucks got the last laugh in this one. Improving to 5-2 with the win, they now turn their focus to Tuesday’s road game against the Raptors.