The Milwaukee Bucks made a stunning series of moves on Tuesday. After waiving superstar guard Damian Lillard, the Bucks came into agreement with Myles Turner on a four-year, $107 million contract.
Per ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was made aware of the Turner signing ahead of time, and was said to be “excited” to have Turner land in Milwaukee.
“Did they tell him they were waiving Damian Lillard in order to facilitate this? I don’t know,” Shelbourne said. “But he did know about Myles Turner, and I think he was excited about Myles Turner because he’s played against him, he knows how good he is. He does so many things well that they need on this team.”
Antetokounmpo has been apart of early trade rumors in the offseason as the Bucks evaluate which direction the franchise should head in. He hasn’t formally requested a trade, and the team has shown no indication that they are willing to trade him. Signing Turner to a long-term deal only reaffirms that notion.
Turner spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Indiana Pacers, averaging 14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game in his career. Additionally, Turner is a career 36 percent three-point shooter. He averaged a career-high 3.4 blocks per game in 2021, and should provide the Bucks with elite floor spacing and rim protection next to Antetokounmpo.