RealGM Basketball Wiretap

04 November 2025

• Myles Turner Says Pacers' Three-Year, $66M Offer Made Free Agency Decision 'Easy'

  Myles Turner said the Indiana Pacers made his free agency decision easy after offering only $22 million annually over three years. The Milwaukee Bucks presented a four-year, $107 million contract that Turner signed in July.

  Negotiations between Turner's agent and the Pacers stalled quickly after Indiana reached the NBA Finals in June. The Pacers never extended an offer beyond $66 million over three years.

  Milwaukee created cap space by waiving and stretching Damian Lillard's remaining $113 million over five years. The Bucks offered Turner approximately $27 million annually with a player option for the final year.

  "I've always been told when I was in trade rumors, this is a business," Turner said. "It's a $40 million difference at the end of the day."

  Pacers president Kevin Pritchard said he learned of Turner's decision through social media. He believed negotiations were still ongoing and thought Indiana was near an acceptable number.

  "Herb Simon and Steven Rales and the Simon family were fully prepared to go deep into the tax to keep him," Pritchard said in July. "We were negotiating in good faith."

  Turner spent 10 seasons with Indiana after being drafted in 2015. He was the longest-tenured player on last season's Finals team.

  "[Indiana] made it very clear how they valued me," Turner said. "And so did the Milwaukee Bucks."

  Turner will face the Pacers for the first time Monday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Bucks are 4-1 while Indiana has started 0-5.

  "There's going to be some cheers. There's going to be some boos," Turner said. "There's going to be a blend of emotions, for sure."

  Turner is averaging 9.8 points on 39.3 percent shooting through five games with Milwaukee.

• Kevin Porter Jr. Out At Least 4 Weeks With Knee Injury

  Kevin Porter Jr. was diagnosed with a right meniscus injury and will miss at least the next four weeks, according to the Milwaukee Bucks.

  The injury will require a minor orthopedic procedure.

  Porter, who was rehabbing a sprained left ankle suffered on opening night, hurt his knee during a workout on Thursday.

  The 25-year-old started the season as the Bucks' starting point guard.

• Chris Livingston, Cavaliers Sign Two-Way Deal

  Chris Livingston and the Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to a Two-Way contract. Livingston is represented by Brandon Cavanaugh and Rich Paul.

  Livingston was the No. 58 overall pick in the 2023 draft and has appeared in 42 games with the Milwaukee Bucks. Livingston was waived by the Bucks due to a roster crunch.

  Livingston appeared in 21 games with the Bucks last season, averaging 1.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in 5.0 minutes. Livingston appeared in two preseason games where he averaged 8.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.8 minutes.

• Giannis Antetokounmpo Sits Bucks' Win Over Warriors With Left Knee Soreness

  Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the Milwaukee Bucks' 120-110 win over the Golden State Warriors with left knee soreness.

  Antetokounmpo was listed as questionable leading up to the game but was scratched following his pregame routine. It is the first game that Antetokounmpo has missed this season.

  Doc Rivers had no updates on Antetokounmpo's status following the game.

  The Bucks' victory was lead by Ryan Rollins, who finished with a career-high 32 points in the win.

  "I won't say we knew it, but we realized that first couple of days of training camp... we have a lot of people that can put the ball in the hoop," Rollins said after the game. "A lot of people that are dogs, they compete, play fast, play the right way, and that's just big for us."

• Myles Turner Says Pacers 'Changed Their Mind' About Re-Signing Him

  Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner was a recent guest with Thanasis Antetokounmpo' Thanalysis Show. One of the topics discussed was why Turner left the Indiana Pacers for the Bucks this offseason. Turner said he was originally told the Pacers would take care of him when he became a free agent.

  "Pascal was in a contract year. T.J. McConnell was in a contract year. Aaron Nesmith was in a contract year. I could go down the list, but you go through that, and we had a great run. Everybody got taken care of. Everybody got paid because we won," Turner said. "Then, the next year, we surpassed what we did, we went to the Finals. And all everybody told me was, 'Myles, just keep your head down. Keep your head down and work. You're going to get taken care of.'"

  Turner said Indiana's front office then changed their minds after the team made the NBA Finals. In the wake of the Tyrese Haliburton injury, the Pacers chose to go in a different direction from the longtime starting center.

  "Then, the unfortunate situation happens in the Finals with Tyrese, and I guess the front office and ownership just changed their mind," Turner told Antetokounmpo. "It was like, 'Yeah... we told you all those things. And yeah... you helped us get to the Eastern Conference Finals and the Finals... but... we had to pivot.' That was basically the sentiment. And we were just very far apart on what we thought the future should be."

  Turner signed with Milwaukee on a four-year, $108.8 million contract. This came after the Bucks cleared cap space in part by waiving-and-stretching Damian Lillard's salary.

• Giannis Antetokounmpo Drops 'This Is My City' In Win At Home Against Knicks

  Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the New York Knicks 121-111 while posting 37 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Antetokounmpo yelled "This is my city" as he made his way to the bench after a Knicks' timeout in the third quarter.

  Antetokounmpo was playing against the Knicks for the first time since a report in October indicated he had some level of interest in playing for New York if he were to be traded by the Bucks.

  "Who said that?" said Antetokounmpo when asked about the report. "I don't read that. I don't remember that. Right now. I'm here representing my team. And that's it. We beat the Knicks. That's all. Doesn't really matter. What matters is we have a game in two days against Golden State. Try to stay locked in and get two in a row. But I didn't read that article. I try to stay away from all that rumors - what do you call it? Speculation, trades and all this. It doesn't concern me one bit. I try to involve myself (in my play) and I try to win games."

  Antetokounmpo was asked if there was anything extra for him to have that type of performance against the Knicks.

  "For sure. There was a lot extra. They swept us last year. Swept us," Antetokounmpo answered, taking the question in a different direction. "They were way better than us last year. And we didn't make it tough for them. It was very easy, in my opinion. And as the leader of this team, I remember. I don't forget things.

  "And I try to - from early at shootaround - set the tone for the team and try to remind them, 'Last year, they swept us. Same as the Cavs.' So, I think the team responded in the best way. So I'm happy."

  Antetokounmpo becomes eligible for a contract extension in 2026 ahead of a potential free agency in 2027.

• Victor Wembanyama, Giannis Antetokounmpo Named NBA's Players Of The Week

  Victor Wembanyama has been named the NBA's Western Conference Player of the Week for the opening week of the season, joining Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo in the Eastern Conference. This marks Wembanyama's second Player of the Week honor of his career and the 28th for Antetokounmpo.

  Wembanyama helped guide the Spurs to a 3-0 record to start the season for the first time since 2019, averaging 33.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 6.00 blocks, 2.3 assists and 1.67 steals in 33.3 minutes while shooting 56.9 percent (37-65) from the field. He is the first player in NBA history to record 100+ points, 40+ rebounds and 15+ blocks through his team's first three games.

  Leading the Bucks to a 2-1 record last week, Antetokounmpo averaged 36.0 points (2nd in NBA), 16.0 rebounds (1st in NBA) and 7.0 assists (14th in NBA) per game while shooting 68.3% from the field (11th in NBA). He tipped off the week with 37 points, 14 rebounds and five assists in a win over the Wizards in Milwaukee's season opener on Wednesday before hauling in an NBA season-high 20 rebounds with 31 points and seven assists in Friday's win at Toronto. He finished the week with 40 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists on Sunday against Cleveland to log his 55th career 40-point game, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the franchise record.

• Source Close To Giannis Antetokounmpo: 'Always Got to Hold Ownership's Feet To Fire'

  Giannis Antetokounmpo is approaching a crossroads in his career where he will likely either sign an extension with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2026 offseason or he will be traded. Antetokounmpo has a player option for the 2027-28 season meaning he can become a free agent in 20227.

  Antetokounmpo has applied pressure to the Bucks ahead of his extension decisions in 2020 and 2023, which resulted in him signing long-term after their trades for Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard. Antetokounmpo decided to remain with the Bucks this past offseason following their decision to waive-and-stretch Damian Lillard in order to sign Myles Turner.

  "Always got to hold ownership's feet to the fire," a source close to Antetokounmpo told ESPN.

  The Bucks and New York Knicks engaged in trade talks on Antetokounmpo in August, but those talks didn't progress.

  "I've said this many times: I want to be in a situation that I can win," Antetokounmpo said. "I've communicated with my teammates, communicated with the people I respect and love, that the moment I step on this court or in this facility, I wear this jersey, the rest does not matter. I'm locked into whatever I have in front of me. Now, if in six, seven months I change my mind, I think that's human, too."

  The Bucks, however, insist they are the same page as Antetokounmpo.

  "There's no bigger difference," one team source told ESPN, "than the perception of the outside compared to what's going on in-house."

• Kevin Porter Jr. Out At Least Two Games With Sprained Ankle

  Kevin Porter Jr. suffered a sprained ankle against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, an MRI confirmed on Thursday.

  Porter is set to miss the Bucks' two-game road trip, though the team did not provide further details of his return.

  The 25-year-old averaged 11.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 30 games with the Bucks last year.

• Kevin Porter Jr. Suffers Sprained Ankle, Set To Undergo MRI

  Kevin Porter Jr. suffered a sprained ankle in the Milwaukee Bucks' 133-120 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.

  Porter, who had ten points at the time of the injury, is set to undergo an MRI on Thursday.

  Doc Rivers was pessimistic over the outlook of the injury.

  "It didn't look good," Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. "I'll just say that. Got to hope for the best, but looking at it, it was a pretty bad sprain."