Arguably the biggest blemish on the Bucks’ salary sheet right now is Myles Turner’s contract, since he’s owed $73 million over the next three seasons. Since the Bucks are clearly valuing the development of their young players more than anything else, it makes sense to search for any way to get off Turner’s contract earlier.
One sneakily perfect avenue for getting off Turner's deal would be swapping him for Kristaps Porzingis, although the Bucks seem opposed to that idea for now. However, the player-for-player trade at face value would immediately be a win for the Bucks, because Porzingis has one less year left on his contract and makes less per season (2 years and $40 million remaining).
Porzingis has a better contract for the Bucks
Turner has maintained his starting spot to start the season, but nothing is guaranteed in the Bucks rotation this season. From a developmental perspective, it makes more sense to move him and open up cap flexibility as well as more minutes for Kel'el Ware at center. Ware is one of the most exciting prospects in Milwaukee right now, and the Bucks have every reason to invest fully in his development.
Even one less year on that expensive contract could be a huge deal for the Bucks, depending on their developmental progress in a couple summers. By that time, Milwaukee could be ready to retool around some young centerpieces, but Turner's ugly contract would only hold them back. By trading him for Porzingis, the Bucks can have max contract slots for the 2028 free agent class, which includes old friend Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Any hint of bringing Giannis back is enough to get Bucks fans excited, no matter how unlikely. But the benefits of moving Turner will come to fruition even if the Greek Freak doesn't return. There should be other free agents to target as well, or other contracts that might get offloaded to the Bucks along with draft capital.
Turner's deal has been a nightmare from the moment it was signed
It goes without saying that Turner hasn't lived up to his contract's value during his Bucks tenure so far. But that understatement ignores the fact that Milwaukee also performed a stretch-and-waive on Damian Lillard's contract to sign Turner in the first place.
With both aspects considered, including Lillard's dead money on the books until 2030, Turner has been an abject failure in Milwaukee. He wasn't good enough to help the Bucks contend around Giannis last season, and now he's too old to fit into the rebuild. All signs point to Turner being shipped out sooner rather than later, but Porzingis might be the only way to do it without attaching assets to get rid of Turner.
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