The Detroit Pistons were rumored to be suitors for a stretch five last offseason from a group of players that included Myles Turner, a guy they are now glad they passed on in free agency.
It seemed likely that Turner would stick with the only team he’d been on, the Indiana Pacers, who were fresh off an appearance in the Finals, but the Pacers refused to pony up the money, so Turner shockingly went to the Bucks as their big move to placate an unhappy Giannis.
We aren’t even halfway through the season, but the Bucks are already likely regretting that move, as it hasn’t worked out for them or Turner, and there are already rumors he could be traded.
Meanwhile, Jalen Duren is thriving and is in the running for best center in the Eastern Conference.
The Detroit Pistons were smart to pass on Myles Turner
Turner signed a four-year contract worth $108 million to join the Bucks as Giannis’ sidekick, but so far, that has not been the case.
Giannis has been limited to 17 games so far this season and will be out for several more weeks, so we haven’t seen too much of the superstar with his new teammate. The two do have a +9.5 net rating when sharing the floor, but that’s with a 115 defensive rating that would put them in the lower half of the league.
Milwaukee is just 22nd in defensive rating overall, so Turner hasn’t been the impact rim protector they thought he’d be. Turner is averaging the fewest blocks per game since his rookie season, and that also applies to points and rebounds, which are also near career lows.
Turner is also shooting just 43 percent from the floor, which is the lowest of his career. His 3-point numbers have taken a dip as well, so the Bucks are paying big money for a center who is already showing signs of decline, and he’s in the first year of his contract. Yikes.
What is Myles Turner going to look like when he’s 33 years old at the end of this deal? It could be a long-term disaster for the Bucks that they risked for short-term gains that haven’t come, as the Bucks are 11-16 and in the 11th seed in the East.
It’s not likely the Pistons were serious contenders for Turner once the offer from Milwaukee came, as there is no way Detroit was going to pay Turner that much for that long, but that’s the price the Bucks had to pay to pry him away from team that drafted him.
Jalen Duren has been better than Turner at just about everything outside of shooting 3-pointers this season, and even though he’ll be getting a bigger salary than Turner next offseason, he’s only 22 years old, so his best days are in front him while Turner is exiting his prime.
It seems like a no-brainer now, but there were a lot of fans and pundits who were high on the idea of the Pistons signing Turner. They didn’t, and it was the right call, as Milwaukee may end up trading him before the ink on the contract is even dry, and I think they’ll find the market will not be robust.
I wouldn’t completely write off the Bucks yet, but if they continue to pile up losses while The Greek Freak is out, there is a world in which neither he nor Turner will be in Milwaukee after the trade deadline.