Myles Turner Talks Leaving Pacers for Bucks With Kyrie, 'It's Not a Cinderella Story'
Myles Turner left the team he spent 10 years with to join the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency, and the big man opened up about his decision on Kyrie Irving's live stream.
He said, "it's not a Cinderella story," and he ultimately made what he felt was the best move for both his career and for his family.
"At the end of the day, bro, it’s not a Cinderella story, you know what I mean? I think that’s how people are trying to form this," Turner said (h/t HoopsHype). "And though I think the way I viewed it is I wanted to be thankful, for just the people that rock with me the entire time, my 10-year journey in Indiana, but also let them realize that at this time I made the best decision for my family, made the best decision for me and myself going into my prime, and this is how I saw fit."
Turner joined the Bucks on a four-year, $107 million contract, and that decision came after he received below-market offers from the Pacers, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
Despite the Pacers' reported below-market offers, Indiana's president of basketball operations, Kevin Pritchard, was "shocked" by Turner's decision.
"I was shocked. If I'm being perfectly honest, again, I thought we were kind of going back and forth in an open way," Pritchard told reporters last week. "We've done big deals with that agency, and they're great guys and we'll be doing more business with them. But Myles must've heard something in that (Bucks offer) that said, 'I'm gonna take it right now.'"
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Turner said he opted for Milwaukee because he thinks it's the best place for him to compete for a championship, despite reaching the Finals with the Pacers last season.
"For me, ultimately it was about just staying competitive," Turner told reporters. "Two years ago, we got to the conference finals. Obviously, last year we got to the Finals. Being a big part of winning basketball just changed my entire perspective on this league. I saw a chance to remain competitive here."
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Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo always gives Milwaukee a chance to compete for a title, but if he decides to request a trade, Turner might end up regretting his decision.
For now, it appears he's ready to move on from the last chapter in his career and shift the focus toward his new team. He's ready for Pacers fans to move on as well.
"Even in my time there, there's a lot of people that wanted me off the team, and now they got what they wanted, and now they're complaining, still," Turner said Saturday during an NBA TV Summer League broadcast.
Turner called Indiana home for 10 years and helped revive the franchise, but as he said, it's not a Cinderella story.
