Dwyane Wade supports Myles Turner's decision to leave the Pacers to go play with Giannis: "Perfect time to make the shift"
For the last five seasons, Myles Turner has been constantly thrown into trade talks at every deadline. Whenever a team needed a center, his name always came first, as he can work well with another star player or two.
Despite the constant noise, he remained loyal to the Indiana Pacers, and this season it proved to be the right call. The Pacers made their first NBA Finals in 25 years, since the Reggie Miller era and Turner played brilliantly.
However, when Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles in Game 7, it became instantly clear he'd be sidelined for the entire following season. A minor rebuild seemed likely, but hardly anyone anticipated the versatile center being dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks.
"He just went to the Finals," Dwyane Wade said on "The Why" podcast, commenting on Myles' situation. "After 10 years of building, he finally got to the Finals. Hali got hurt and now they're kind of rebuilding. Not fully, but enough. I mean, let me go here next to Giannis. Let me go and give myself another chance in the Eastern Conference and win a championship. So I want more."
"I think it was the right time for him and he ain't gonna do nothing more. After 10 years getting to the Finals and being there — everything will go downhill. I think it was a good move. My legacy was good there and let me go try to do something else for the end of my career. Perfect time to make the shift," The Flash concluded.
Pacers will be in a tough spot all season
From Wade's perspective, this trade makes perfect sense for Turner's career because playing alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo will give him a new chance to fight for a title, especially since the Pacers, without Haliburton, will be in a tough spot all season long.
However, from the Pacers' perspective, Turner was one of the key pieces of that championship run: a great rim protector and a guy who could stretch the floor and knock down timely shots. Considering all of this, the renowned insider and analyst Brian Windhorst reckoned that Indiana players were furious with the trade.
"They are going to have some explaining to do to their star players. The Pacers have been weakened both this season and into the future. They don't have another player on their roster who can fill in here," he emphasized.Turner as the younger version of Lopez
Indiana suddenly went from pushing Game 7 and chasing their first-ever title to losing two starters for the upcoming season. A similar situation unfolded in Boston, where the Celtics' repeat hopes were derailed. After Jayson Tatum went down, they quickly moved on from Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, with Al Horford also approaching retirement.
As for the Bucks, Turner's playstyle looks an awful lot like a younger version of Brook Lopez, who was also (and still is to a degree) a great rim protector with a reliable three-point shot from a big man, though not a dominant rebounder.
It remains to be seen how Turner and Giannis mesh on the court, but their combined experience and skill sets should complement one another well.This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
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