Acquiring Myles Turner felt like the perfect move to extend the Milwaukee Bucks' championship—and Giannis Antetokounmpo—window. It was reckless, but the Bucks didn't care. With their contending dreams on life support, they threw caution to the wind. They are still paying for it today, both from a production and financial standpoint. Simply put, the juice hasn't been worth the squeeze, despite all of the initial promise. It's haunting them in this new era.
Turner acquisition has been a failure
Big swings were Milwaukee's trademark during the Giannis era. They sold the farm for Jrue Holiday. They went all-in on PJ Tucker and Jae Crowder—two different results there. Somehow, they worked their way into the Lillard deal. All of them came with their own level of risk, but one could argue that their move to acquire Turner was the boldest—and riskiest.
The pitch was simple. "Let's acquire Myles Turner to replace Brook Lopez as the starting center. He's the perfect fill in with his shooting and interior defense, and he's much younger. It will show Giannis that we are still all-in on contending as well." Perfect. The elephant in the room, though, was that this would cripple Milwaukee's financial future due to having to waive and stretch Damian Lillard's deal.
It would be a historic amount of money to take on over the next several years just to free Lillard, out for the foreseeable future due to an Achilles tear. Done. They embraced $113 million in dead money to make room for Turner, who signed a $109 million deal. Any move where a team willingly adds over $200 million better be a needle-mover. This has been anything but.
Turner's struggles are worsening
Turner had a rough first season with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2025-26. He posted 11.9 points (second fewest of career) and 5.3 rebounds per game (career worst). It was easily brushed off due to having a coach like Doc Rivers running the show. The hope was that Taylor Jenkins could turn things around and finally vindicate the Bucks' all-time gamble. Not quite yet.
The big man has been having an even less productive 2026-27, averaging just 7.1 points per contest. For a player making as much as he does, that won't cut it. This was someone who was supposed to save the Giannis Antetokounmpo era. Instead, we've reached the point where the Milwaukee Bucks will have to attach additional assets to Turner to move him in a trade. Ouch.
This move had all the potential in the world. General Manager Jon Horst and Co. likely thought they had done it again when Turner fell into their lap. Moves for Holiday and Lillard helped Giannis sign an extension with the franchise. This move, though, won't be remembered the same way. Until all of that dead money—and Turner's contract—comes off the books, the Bucks will be reminded of their woes.
The Milwaukee Bucks should be applauded for constantly retaining their superstar and winning it all one time, but this time, their recklessness totally backfired.
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