“Saying goodbye is never easy, especially so abruptly”. In his farewell message, Myles Turner echoed the sentiment of all the Hoosiers. The loss is not only significant for the fans, even the coach felt it. “Losing Myles Turner is a significant loss for our team. I mean, the guy’s been a terrific player,” said Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle in a recent statement. Being this important, everyone thought he would return to Indiana for an 11th season. But that’s not the reality, and it could be related to Tyrese Haliburton’s situation.

First, let’s understand what the recent Bucks star said after his arrival in Milwaukee. “For me, ultimately it was about just staying competitive,” Turner said. “Two years ago, we got to the conference finals. Obviously, last year we got to the Finals. Being a big part of winning basketball just changed my entire perspective on this league. I saw a chance to remain competitive here, and Jon, even Doc, has assured me that winning is a top priority here. We just aligned with our visions.”

On a 4-year, $108.9 million deal, the Bucks had to waive Damian Lillard to create the space for Myles Turner. The commitment from the Bucks was real, and that’s how they landed the 29-year-old Center. Staying competitive was the priority for the 6-foot-11 star. So is he indicating that the Pacers won’t be after Haliburton’s injury?

The Hoosiers are waiting for good news regarding Hali after already undergoing surgery to repair his torn Achilles tendon. Yes, the 25-year-old is currently under rehab, so will he play any part next season? The Pacers’ President of Basketball Operations, Kevin Pritchard, bluntly said–NO.  “I have no doubt that he will be back better than ever… He will not play next year, though. We would not jeopardize that now.”

Thus, when Myles Turner speaks about winning perspective, it is clear that he had doubts about whether the Pacers could contend without Haliburton. After all, he was their leading superstar for multiple comeback wins.

Another reported reason that stopped Myles Turner’s comeback to the Pacers

Over the course of a decade, Myles Turner averaged a significant stat throughout 642 games, starting in a total of 609 of them. In his last season with the Indiana Pacers, he averaged 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in a total of 72 appearances. In fact, the Center even averaged his best figures in three-point percentage (39.6). With everything going right, why would he join the Bucks?

At first, there were reports that the need to keep Myles Turner was there. But the Pacers also wanted to continue their theme of staying under the luxury tax, having not exceeded the tax line in two decades since 2005. However, Pritchard put the cold water over those reports. “I know this, that Herb Simon and Stephen Rails and the Simon family were fully prepared to go deep into the tax to keep him. And we really wanted to do that.”

Further, the President of Basketball Operations also revealed that he got to know about the 10-year veteran leaving through ESPN’s Shams Charania’s tweet. “Unfortunately. I saw Shams tweet it, and that’s how I knew that Myles was taken away.” That’s the business world of the NBA, which once again showed how cruel it can be. But from Myles’ perspective, the decision was clear. Playing for a winning basketball team was important, and the Bucks with Giannis seemed the right option for the 29-year-old.