The Milwaukee Bucks stealing Myles Turner from Indiana was one of the offseason's most piquant ironies. Many Pacers fans were furious over his defection to the team's bitterest rival. It appears the two parties won't have to wait long for a reunion, as the NBA schedule release indicates that the Bucks will travel to Indiana on November 3, their seventh game of the season.
Things could get tense early this season.
Return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse should be brimming with emotions
When Turner signed with the Bucks, he had been in the middle of contract negotiations to remain in Indiana, where he was drafted and spent the first 10 years of his career. Pacers brass claimed they were prepared to pay him, but apparently the Bucks' offer - four years for $109 million, including a player option - was one Turner couldn't refuse.
While it was conceivable, if unanticipated, that he might go elsewhere, Milwaukee is the most ironic of destinations. Not only do the two teams hate each other, but the Pacers have bounced the Bucks from the playoffs two years running, intensifying mutual animosity.
If you can't beat him, go get him, is one way to frame Milwaukee's logic.
Of course, it's much more than that. Now that Turner is here, Bucks fans can't wait to see him in action alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. Although Brook Lopez is still capable, Turner is much closer to what the former was in his prime, when the Bucks won the title with Splash Mountain cashing in from the perimeter on offense and protecting the defensive paint.
While one could argue Turner is not quite as elite a defender as peak Lopez, he also has a deeper bag on the other end of the floor, something that will come in handy on a roster starved for shot creation outside of Giannis. Turner isn't going to run the offense, but he can get his own shot. After a career-best year from beyond the arc, he should only see his catch-and-shoot opportunities go up as well.
Despite his valuable skillset, some Pacers fans have predictably tried to downplay his importance. Who needs Turner's shot-blocking when Jay Huff is there? Right.
Even for Milwaukee supporters, of course, seeing Turner in a different jersey, especially a Bucks one, might feel strange at first, given that he spent his whole career wearing Pacers yellow. It's just going to get weirder when he takes the court on November 3, all decked out in Bucks gear.
Turner probably should not expect a tribute video upon his return - maybe in a few years, when emotions are not as raw. What he can count on is more than a few boos. In a matchup already charged with hostility, the Turner narrative is just one more reason for fans of both sides to circle the date on the early-season calendar.