Part I explored the rationale to start Myles Turner. Part II argued for his demotion to the bench. In each of those scenarios, Turner plays a pivotal role in Milwaukee. Of course, it may just be best to cut (ties and trade) him before the season even begins.
Cut (okay, trade): Committing to the reset
Look, this one goes against the cardinal rule I outlined in Part I. But sometimes even the most steadfast of rules needs to be broken. And in the Bucks’ case, breaking this rule would signal a whole-hearted commitment to the reset, clearing away
the last real remnants of desperation that came with going “all in” with Giannis (well, besides Gary Trent Jr.).
Turner’s arrival in Milwaukee was met with skepticism from the moment news broke of his signing. Yes, there was buzz—no one foresaw Jon Horst even thinking about waiving and stretching Damian Lillard, let alone following through with it to sign the best free agent available, from the team’s biggest rival no less—but after the shockwave passed, few thought it could really help the Bucks contend. As we know, they were right. And now that Giannis has gone, moving on from Turner would give the new young Bucks a chance to start with a truly clean slate.
But would trading Turner now really be selling him for ten cents on the dollar? If you haven’t seen our numerous articles about it, recent scuttlebutt has linked the Bucks to Denver Nuggets restricted free agent Peyton Watson. And while this is without a doubt intriguing, the Nuggets’ alleged asking price of a Walker Kessler-like deal has all but ruled that out (especially with Ryan Rollins off the table).
As a reminder, the Los Angeles Lakers gave up two unprotected first-round picks and two first-round swaps to acquire Kessler in a sign-and-trade from the Utah Jazz. Yet Kessler, a rim protecting centre who doesn’t have Turner’s floor-spacing, commanded that trade despite playing just five games this past season. And he’s never averaged more than 11.1 PPG, a number Turner has only failed to surpass once in his 11-year career—and that came as a rookie.
Slate-cleaning and underrated trade value aside, moving on from Turner might also be a wise thing to do as part of Milwaukee’s bid to build its culture. Yes, Turner may be one of the team’s elder statesmen and, yes, it’s true that the 2025-26 Bucks were a complete mess of a team. But Turner airing the team’s dirty laundry on his podcast after the season isn’t what you want from a leader either. For a reminder, here’s what Yahoo Sports’ Andy Backstrom reported about it:
Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner revealed on his podcast with New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart that former Bucks head coach Doc Rivers “didn’t fine anybody ever” this past season, and that superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was the teammate who was most likely to be late for team events.
“Guys were late all the time,” Turner told Stewart on a new episode of “Game Recognize Game” that was released Thursday. “Guys were showing up to film whenever they wanted to show up. Guys were missing meetings. It was one of the craziest things I personally ever experienced.”
As Backstrom reported, Turner didn’t stop there:
“If the plane took off at 2 o’clock, we weren’t leaving till 4:30,” said Turner, who left the Pacers last offseason to sign a four-year deal worth more than $100 million with Milwaukee after it waived Damian Lillard.
Turner continued: “I’m being so serious, bro. It was crazy, dawg. Guys were an hour late to the plane. It got to the point where I knew not to show up until an hour after they said the plane was taking off. It was crazy.”
When Stewart asked Turner which teammate was most likely to be late, he didn’t have to do much thinking.
“Oh, that’s easy,” he said. “Giannis. Giannis is going to show up whenever he wants, really. I think that this kind of just came with the territory that — and once I saw it was going down, I was like, ‘Hey man, s***, more power to you. They ain’t going to fine you. S***, do what you do.’”
In reality, these are not the worst collections of comments a player could say about his team, but they’re certainly not a good look either. Especially if Turner didn’t actively try to do anything about it when it was happening. So, with the Bucks loaded with impressionable young talent, a move that ships off Turner for draft capital—and potentially a wiser presence—may be preferable.
The most obvious partner is the Toronto Raptors, who are in a position to be competitive, have a need at centre—especially one who can space the floor—and would likely give up draft picks to move Jakob Poeltl and the $104m he’s owed through the 2029-30 season. Another team that might be interested is the Los Angeles Clippers, who currently project to start 38-year-old Brook Lopez (no offense, Splash, we’ll always love ya). Heck, there are even scenarios where the Phoenix Suns, who are rightly or wrongly trying to win, and Brooklyn Nets, whose only legitimate centre is Day’Ron Sharpe, are suitors. For this thought exercise, though, it’s the notion that’s important; the team doesn’t really matter.
All options considered—start, bench, or trade—I’d like to see Turner stick around in Milwaukee, with the caveat that Kel’el Ware starts from day one. Myles, it’s time to embrace the bench and become the voice that unites and guides the Bucks back to relevancy.
There you have it, Brew Hoop community, the complete range of Myles Turner scenarios—unless this writer has missed something. If so, let me know in the comments and share your thoughts on what you think Taylor Jenkins—and/or Jon Horst—should do with last year’s prized free agency addition.
