The Pacers are hoping to re-sign starting center Myles Turner next offseason, general manager Chad Buchanan told the media on Tuesday.
“We’re big believers in Myles,” Buchanan said. “We want him to be here.”
Turner, who will make $19,928,500 this season, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Complicating matters for Indiana is that Turner will not become extension-eligible before free agency.
As Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star points out, when Turner signed a two-year contract extension in January 2023, he and the Pacers also renegotiated of the final year of his previous contract. Typically, players become extension-eligible on the two-year anniversary of their previous signing, but renegotiating a contract pushes that timeline to three years.
The Pacers will have a small window after the NBA Finals to negotiate with Turner before other teams can come calling, thanks to a new rule allowing teams to exclusively negotiate with their own free agents between the end of the Finals and June 30.
Turner is an impact player at both ends of the floor. He averaged 17.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game last season. He has led the league in blocks twice and is also a respectable three-point shooter (35.4% for his career).
“His development fit with (coach Rick Carlisle’s) system,” Buchanan said. “He fit with our point guards. Fit with Pascal. You see how he seamlessly fits into the way we play.”
Re-signing Turner may not be a simple process, as Indiana has long-term salary cap concerns. Tyrese Haliburton and Siakam are on maximum-salary contracts, while forward Obi Toppin and guards Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell each signed long-term deals worth eight figures annually this offseason.
The Pacers will likely have to exceed the luxury tax threshold in 2025/26 to pay Turner market value and retain their core group.