Turner Agrees to Join Bucks, Who Will Waive Lillard, AP Source Says, in a Free Agency Surprise
Turner is agreeing to a deal that ends with a player option after spending the entirety of his first 10 seasons with the Indiana Pacers, which went to the NBA Finals this past season. And the remaining 112.6 million owed to Lillard will be paid out over the next five seasons via the NBA's stretch provision, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither move was announced by the clubs involved. ESPN, which first reported the plan by the Pacers and Bucks, said Turner agreed to a contract worth 107 million.
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In both cases, Achilles tendon injuries played a role in the surprising moves. Indiana expects to be without star guard Tyrese Haliburton for the entirety of the coming season because he ruptured his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder while playing through what was diagnosed as a calf strain. And earlier in the playoffs, Lillard ruptured his Achilles tendon while playing for Milwaukee in Round 1 against Indiana.
Lillard also is likely to miss most, if not all, of the coming season. He will be free to sign with anyone he chooses, and teams could simply sign him now, give him a chance to continue his recovery and do so with hope that the seven-time All-NBA selection is fully ready to go by the start of the 2026–27 season.
Turner has averaged 14.1 points and 6.8 rebounds in his 10 seasons with the Pacers, who had a decision to make this summer about whether to surpass the luxury tax threshold with the knowledge that Haliburton likely cannot play this coming season.
Lillard, who turns 35 later this month, has averaged 25.1 points and 6.7 assists in 900 regular-season games over 13 seasons–the first 11 with Portland, the last two with Milwaukee. The Bucks lost Brook Lopez to the Los Angeles Clippers when free agency opened Monday.
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