The Milwaukee Bucks gave Myles Turner a massive four-year contract worth $108.8 million in the offseason, and his immediate decline has created a problem the franchise can’t fix. They want to push for the playoffs in hopes of keeping Giannis Antetokounmpo happy. To accomplish that goal, they have limited Turner’s minutes, which makes the massive gamble to cut Damian Lillard to sign Turner look even worse.
There is no fix. Turner has clearly lost a step of lateral quickness and is producing the worst advanced metrics of his career. He has a negative box score plus-minus and rates below league average in win shares per 48 minutes for the first time ever. To anyone watching, it is clear this is not the Turner Pacers fans know, and it looks like Milwaukee is stuck holding the bag.
At his peak, Turner was a two-way force. He twice led the NBA in blocks per game and is a career 36.5 percent 3-point shooter. There are not many rim protectors capable of spacing the floor like Turner. Milwaukee had dreams of building an elite defense around him and Giannis, but it isn’t going to happen.
The Bucks have a Myles Turner problem after his sudden decline
The franchise has been trying to keep the Greek Freak happy for years. The latest all-in move was dumping an injured Damian Lillard to sign Turner in free agency. Milwaukee has $22.5 million of dead money on their books every season through 2030 after this decision. It will certainly hamstring their roster building, which puts even more pressure on Turner to outplay his contract.
Instead, the signing of the 29-year-old big man is quickly turning into a disaster. Fans thought maybe Turner was dealing with a nagging injury, but Doc Rivers emphatically cleared the record. Turner is just not playing well.
Don’t believe me? Zach Lowe had this to say on March 3 when discussing Giannis’ first game back from injury. Lowe was talking about Jericho Sims playing well before unleashing this quote.
“That just highlights how un-impactful Myles Turner has been the entire season, and therefore, what a potential disaster ditch they’ve dug themselves in with this stretch Dame Lillard and sign Turner with cap space double whammy.”
When Turner falls below elite on the defensive end of the floor, his shortcomings become more problematic. His rebounding and ability to dominate the game are nonexistent. It is why the Bucks keep limiting his minutes. There is nowhere to go. Milwaukee can’t suddenly make him return to form. The slippage is real, and it will only get worse.
That is not what Milwaukee Bucks fans want to hear. He is just starting a massive contract, and another failure leaves Giannis with even fewer reasons to stay. Myles Turner is only 29, but there are no signs of his play improving. The Bucks have been outscored by 117 points in his 1,579 minutes this season.
This deal looks disastrous, and the problem isn’t going away anytime soon. Sadly, it is just another headache for Bucks fans to deal with.