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As fans make predictions around the Indiana Pacers reaching the NBA Finals to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder, some analysts are looking to the near future in how the team will approach the offseason. With some theorizing whether the Pacers will cheap out on the roster, one player who's an interesting part of this is star Myles Turner.
While Turner is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, the latest report from Matt Moore via his blog at Hardwood Paroxysm suggests that both sides are close to a contract extension. However, Moore would question what that means for the rest of the unit besides the star players.
“I was really curious what the Pacers were going to do given that they couldn’t clear salary for Myles Turner’s extension at the deadline,” Moore said. “But it sounds like, regardless, he’s not going anywhere. Word is that the two sides are already close on an extension that will keep him with Indiana. What that means for the rest of the Pacers' supporting cast is another question.”
Turner has been with Indiana since he was drafted with the 11th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, where since then, he's been a foundational piece, especially in this current run along Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam.
How the Pacers are approaching Myles Turner and the offseason
While it was always unlikely for the Pacers to move on from Turner, it was still a conversation that was being talked about among the basketball world, even the possible teams that could be fits. This past season, Turner averaged 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, two blocks, and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from deep.
With the report of Indiana and Turner close to a contract extension, it does track due to what Brian Windhorst of ESPN said on “The Hoop Collective” show that the team is giving the “green light” for them to be in the tax.
“From what I am told, the hope and belief and whatever is that ownership will green light them going a little bit into the tax for a little while,” Windhorst said.
At any rate, Turner and the Pacers share the same No. 1 focus at the current moment, which is to win the franchise's first NBA championship. Game 1 of the NBA Finals for Indiana against the Oklahoma City Thunder will be on Thursday night.
