The Pacers also reportedly declined to offer the 29-year-old center a player option in the final year of his contract — something the Bucks were able to include. Instead of taking the surprisingly low offer from Indiana, Turner signed a long-term deal with one of the team’s fiercest rivals in Milwaukee.

According to a report from NBA insider Jake Fischer, Indiana has registered interest in free agent big man Deandre Ayton. He was bought out recently by the Portland Trail Blazers, although the Los Angeles Lakers are considered by most to be the front-runners to sign him.

In the wake of the Indiana Pacers' NBA Finals loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, coach Rick Carlisle calls retaining center Myles Turner the team's "No. 1 priority" in free agency. It appears that the loss of Tyrese Haliburton for most, if not all, of the upcoming 2025–26 season changed the equation for the Pacers front office.