Myles Turner Reveals How Long He Planned to Stay in Indiana

The NBA is a business. We always hear that, and when a player who means so much to one franchise needs to leave or is traded because of financial concerns, we remind ourselves: nobody is safe from the bottom line.

This is what happened this summer to Myles Turner. After a legendary season where the Indiana Pacers shocked everyone by making it all the way to the NBA Finals, the Pacers didn’t offer Turner (in his opinion) a respectable extension.

Hurt by this and looking out for his own financial well-being, Turner decided to leave the Pacers in free agency. Turner recently spoke about the difficulties negotiating with Indiana and how leaving was never his plan at all. 

"I’ve never been an unrestricted free agent, right? I’ve always done contract extensions in Indiana. So I got a real taste of the business side of things this summer. And to answer your question — I don’t know, bro. I really don’t know. I thought I was destined to retire in Indiana, you know? At that point, with the way things were going... They always tell you in this league, 'Oh, it’s just a business. It’s a business.' But this summer, I really realized that. Like, it actually hit me. I mean, there’s a lot more I could get into, but yeah, bro — I don’t know. I’m just going to go where God allows me to go and keep pushing, bro. That’s all I can do at this point. I’ve put in so much work just to be in this position — in my 11th year in the league. So, you know, I’m hoping to play into my 20s, keep rolling from there."

Turner won’t ever forget when the league and the team he had spent a decade with reminded him: the NBA is a business.