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Bucks Officially Announce Move for $107 Million Star on Monday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Reign Amurao | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 10:01 PM ET

The Milwaukee Bucks made one of the biggest surprises in the 2025 NBA free agency. The front office waived All-Star guard Damian Lillard, who's rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon. The reason for the move was to sign free-agent center Myles Turner.

Ahead of the offseason, it was clear the Bucks were looking to upgrade their frontcourt. The contract of longtime starting center, Brook Lopez, expired at the end of the 2024-25 season. This made acquiring a new starting big man a priority this summer.

Turner signed a four-year, $107 million contract with the Bucks, leaving the team that drafted him, the Indiana Pacers.

On Monday, the team's signing was made official as they welcomed the 11th pick of the 2015 NBA draft. On X, the Bucks posted a photo of the center as they look forward to his contributions to the organization.

"Welcome to Milwaukee, Myles!" the Bucks posted.

Welcome to Milwaukee, Myles! pic.twitter.com/bMTBAI9jzF
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) July 7, 2025

On the same day, the president of basketball operations for the Indiana Pacers, Kevin Pritchard, talked about losing the center. According to Pritchard, the ownership was ready to give him a favorable offer but the Bucks swooped in and signed him early in free agency.

"(Owners) Herb Simon and Steven Rales and the Simon family were fully prepared to go deep into the tax to keep him and we really wanted to do that," Pritchard said, according to IndyStar.

"Again, we were in good faith negotiations," he added. "It was a little surprising how Milwaukee created that... Hat tip to Milwaukee to do that."

Even after helping the Pacers to the finals in the recent playoffs, Turner decided to join a different franchise that offered a better deal. He'll get to play with star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo as they try to contend for a championship.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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