Report: Pacers hesitant to pay Myles Turner $30 million annually for next extension

Report: Pacers hesitant to pay Myles Turner $30 million annually for next extension

Coming off their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in over a decade, the Indiana Pacers are about to become quite expensive.

Last summer, the Pacers re-signed both Obi Toppin and Pascal Siakam to $247 million combined over the next four seasons while extending both Andrew Nembhard and TJ McConnell for nearly $60 million combined. Nembard and McConnell’s contracts don’t kick in until next season, though the Pacers are still projected nearly $170 million on the books with Myles Turner, Isaiah Jackson, James Johnson and Thomas Bryant becoming free agents.

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, there may be reservations about extending Turner for $30 million annually, which is his asking price.

“He’s going to be seeking a contract starting in the $30-plus million range annually, and the Pacers aren’t sure if they want to pay him that much, according to league sources,” he reported Wednesday. “That has to be factored into this equation if the Lakers trade for him. Second, the Pacers would likely need a center in return. They are not an organization that tanks, and giving up their starting center without getting another would likely cause them to take a step back in the East.“

The Pacers’ big-man rotation does fall off a cliff when Turner isn’t on the floor, even though Jackson’s not a bad player. Bryant is next up on that list, and while he has shown moments as a backup big in Los Angeles, Miami and Indiana, he’s not a primary backup big because he’s slightly undersized, unathletic and is very poor defensively.

According to Spotrac, as it’s currently constructed, the Pacers are roughly $27 million away first apron and $38 million away from the second apron for the 2025-26 season. This is assuming they exercise James Wiseman‘s $2.6 million team option.

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Locking themselves into Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner for nearly $115 million next year–when that number will grow in future seasons–in today’s economy does carry risk. They have nailed their role players with McConnell, Nembhard and Toppin. But Bennedict Mathurin and Aaron Nesmith–who have also been awesome–are both extension-eligible this upcoming offseason with Ben Sheppard becoming extension-eligible after 2025-26.

Is Turner north of $30 million worth it in this context? I’m not sure. He’s the prototypical pace-and-space big man, but I also think it’s easier to find those at cost-controlled contracts today than it was 5-10 years ago.

I will be very interested to see what the Pacers do because they are in a pickle with their big-man rotation while they’re trying to compete. Let us know your thoughts below!

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