What are the details of Myles Turner’s extension with the Indiana Pacers?
Though there was speculation surrounding whether or not he would be traded, it appears those rumors have now been laid to rest. With the big man’s committal, the Pacers can now focus on the rest of their roster.
Courtesy of some clever negotiation, the Pacers have tied up the services of a genuine star for a fraction of the expected cost. The question now is, can they build a winning team around him?
Myles Turn agrees to extension with Pacers
According to recent reports, Myles Turner has agreed to a two-year, $58 million contract extension with the Indiana Pacers. What’s interesting about the deal itself, is that it comes with a rather unique set of clauses in place due to the fact, that the Pacers are under the salary cap which means they will be using the league’s renegotiate-and-extend mechanic.
In terms of the details, Turner now has a guaranteed $58 million in new money out of which he will receive $17.1 million up front, via Indiana’s cap space. The remaining sum will be paid to him across the coming two years. In principle, Turner is now set to pocket $20.9 million for the 2023-24 season and $19.9 million for the 2024-25 campaign. To be clear, the Pacers have made a shrewd move here, with their cap space allowing them to maintain Turner at cap figures that are significantly below what the market suggests he should be paid. With that in mind, they can now bump his salary once the roster is finalized.
Is Myles Turner worth it?
Short answer? Yes. This is in fact Turner’s best season so far. Now fully in control of the center position, he’s got an average of 17.5 points per game to go with 7.9 rebounds. His shooting is also something to behold, with a career best 39.1% from 3-point range, which has to be respected for a big man. Turner is quite frankly one of the best in his position right now. So much so, that the Lakers were actually quite interested in acquiring him. There was even talk of a deal which would involve Buddy Hield and Russell Westbrook, but in the end the Lakers wouldn’t budge on their two first-round picks.
At any rate, the chatter has now been silenced and at a key moment as well. The Pacers currently sit in 9th place in the Eastern Conference on a record of 24-27. Turner’s extension is definitely a step in the direction of turning that figure into a winning one. Indeed, with emerging talents such as Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurian, one gets the feeling that the Pacers could be building something solid for the future.