Myles Turner Move Could Become Long-Term Problem for the Bucks

While the addition of Turner has many in Milwaukee excited, some are less bullish on the move and what it means for the Bucks moving forward.

Tim Bontemps and Jamal Collier of ESPN did a deep dive into Milwaukee's decision to acquire Turner after stretching the remainder of Lillard's contract five years into the future. Suffice to say, the two analysts are not overly optimistic about what the acquisition of Turner will mean in the future.

"Once a team stretches the salary of a player, there is no turning back. The Bucks can't trade that salary or reduce it in any way, shape or form. Instead, it is stuck on their books until it goes away. Essentially, the Bucks are paying more than $50 million a year for the right to have Turner on their roster. The Bucks have yet to find a replacement for Lillard's production — 24.9 points, 7.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 38% from 3 — and had a roster that finished fifth in the East last season."

Turner is a productive player with postseason experience. He can stretch the floor adequately well, and as such will keep the lane open for Antetokounmpo to operate off the bounce and in the paint. Turner also is a decent rim-protector with rim-running skills in transition.

At the same time, given the financial constraints this puts on Milwaukee, is Turner good enough to warrant this decision?

If it means appeasing Antetokounmpo and keeping him happy, that's one consideration. From a basketball standpoint, the Bucks are facing a steep road in having limited cap flexibility to acquire players given the contracts of the aforementioned tandem coupled with Lillard's dead money hanging on the cap.

If the Bucks can find quality guards/wing play, this discussion may be moot. However, with less-than-ideal cap space and virtually no first-round picks moving forward, things in Milwaukee will be worth monitoring — particularly if Antetokounmpo gets antsy.

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