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Pacers want to re-sign Myles Turner, enter luxury tax for first time in two decades
Pacers want to re-sign Myles Turner, enter luxury tax for first time in two decades
While the Indiana Pacers are in the hunt for their first-ever NBA Title against the Oklahoma City Thunder, they will have decisions to make this summer regarding Myles Turner‘s impending free agency. It appears that for the first time in two decades, the Pacers are reportedly ready to dip into the luxury tax to re-sign their longest-tenured player.
“Myles Turner is due for a massive payday this offseason. The Pacers know they cannot afford to lose him as a free agent,” ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania said Sunday ahead of Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals. “There’s mutual interest in getting a deal done. But in doing so, I’m told the Pacers have determined that they will be entering into the luxury tax for the first time in many years to give this team a chance to make a run not only this season but over the next few years.”
The Pacers will be eligible to re-sign Turner, 29, before he hits the open market in July after the Finals.
Turner, the franchise’s all-time leader in blocks, is averaging 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and two blocks per game this season, shooting 48.1 percent from the floor, 39.6 percent from 3-point range and 77.3 percent from the free-throw line. There was, reportedly, previous apprehension about potentially paying him upwards of $30-plus million, but it appears that’s no longer the case.
Outside of their beautiful blend of contrasting styles on the court, what made these NBA Finals so unique is that both the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder weren’t luxury tax teams. Now, that may no longer be the case for next year.
The Pacers re-structured Turner’s contract in 2023, giving him a $19.9 million cap hit this season. But with his play combined with the lack of formidable bigs in free agency, Indiana’s going to have to pay up for its beloved stretch-five. It’s smart for the Pacers to want to keep this core together–and potentially add onto it, depending on who becomes available at a reasonable price–if they can.
In today’s NBA, every dollar matters. Every player has a price, too. But I think doing what they can to re-up with Turner is the right move if they want to maximize their window, both in the short term and the long term.
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