The Giannis era is over. The Myles Turner era should be too, and Milwaukee already has his replacement in the building. Because what Milwaukee gets in return for their franchise cornerstone is the 22-year-old center who just made Turner redundant: Kel'el Ware is now a Milwaukee Buck. The argument for keeping Turner alongside him is now null and void.
The Myles Turner experiment ends with the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade
Turner's first season in Milwaukee was a significant step backward from what made him attractive in the first place. The fit with Giannis was always conceptually clean but so very murky in practice, and the numbers reflected it. Per PBP Stats, the Bucks were a net-minus 6.03 points per 100 possessions with Turner on the floor. Milwaukee was actively worse with their starting center in the game.
Turner is still owed up to $29 million through 2028 with a player option for the year after. Three more years of that kind of contract on a rebuilding roster next to a young center you're supposed to be developing makes the team worse. The time to move him is now, while his value as a floor-spacer and rim protector still attracts legitimate suitors.
Ware is a long, switchable big with legitimate upside -- the kind of young center you build a new identity around. Keeping Turner doesn't just cost money; it costs Ware real developmental minutes at a critical age. All this is to say that Ware absolutely deserves the keys.
There are also other options now available to the Bucks at that position if depth is the concern. NBA insider Jake Fischer reported in the latest dispatch of The Stein Line Substack (subscription required) that the Bucks are interested in Isaiah Stewart. They also still have the likes of Jericho Sims and Pete Nance in tow who may still have some more untapped potential left in them.
Trading Myles Turner should help the Bucks continue their rebuild
The draft is over, but it's still entirely possible that Milwaukee deals Turner for a late first-rounder and salary relief. From there, they hand Ware the starting center job, pair him with Jaquez and the incoming draft picks, and actually commit to the rebuild. That's the right version of how these next few months should go down.
Ware could see a larger role in Milwaukee than he ever did in Miami, especially if Turner is traded. That shouldn't be complicated. Milwaukee just turned the page on its biggest era in franchise history. Turner is a relic of the chapter they're trying to close. Ware is the first sentence of whatever comes next.
Give Ware the job. The rebuild starts now.
Add us as a preferred source on Google