Turner will join Bucks, who waive Lillard

Myles Turner is about to become teammates with Giannis Antetokounmpo, while Damian Lillard now has the chance to pick his next spot.

And just like that, the first full day of NBA free agency brought big surprises Tuesday.

Turner — a longtime stalwart at the Indiana Pacers — agreed to a four-year deal to join the Milwaukee Bucks, who waived the nine-time All-Star in Lillard to make the acquisition happen, a person with knowledge of the moves told reporters.

Turner is agreeing to a deal that ends with a player option, after spending the entirety of his first 10 seasons with the Pacers, who went to the NBA Finals this past season.

The remaining $112.6 million owed to Lillard will be paid out over the next five seasons via the NBA's stretch provision, according to the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because neither move was announced by the clubs involved.

ESPN, which first reported the plan by the Pacers and Bucks, said Turner agreed to a contract worth $107 million.

In both cases, Achilles tendon injuries played a role in how things unfolded.

Indiana expects to be without star guard Tyrese Haliburton for the entirety of the coming season because he ruptured his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder while playing through what was diagnosed as a calf strain. Earlier, Lillard ruptured his Achilles tendon while playing for Milwaukee in round 1 against Indiana.

Lillard is likely to miss most, if not all, of the coming season. He will be free to sign with anyone he chooses, and teams could simply sign him now, give him a chance to continue his recovery, and do so with hope that the seven-time All-NBA selection is fully ready to go by the start of the 2026-27 season.

"This is an opportunity for Damian to stay home to continue his rehabilitation, take time to decide where he wants to play next, while still being paid his entire contract," said Lillard's agent, Aaron Goodwin.

Turner has averaged 14.1 points and 6.8 rebounds in his 10 seasons with the Pacers, who had to make a decision this summer about whether to surpass the luxury tax threshold knowing that Haliburton likely cannot play this coming season.

Lillard, who turns 35 this month, has averaged 25.1 points and 6.7 assists in 900 regular-season games over 13 seasons — the first 11 with Portland Trail Blazers, the last two with Milwaukee, which lost Brook Lopez to the Los Angeles Clippers when free agency opened Monday.

SGA gets extension

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed on a record-setting four-year, $285 million extension that would give him the highest single-season average salary in NBA history, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Tuesday.

He is coming off a year when he became the fourth player in NBA history to win MVP, Finals MVP, a scoring title and win a championship in the same season. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it once, Michael Jordan then did it four times and Shaquille O'Neal was the last entrant into that fraternity — until this past season, when Gilgeous-Alexander joined the club.

Robinson to Pistons

Duncan Robinson, the leading 3-point shooter in Miami Heat history, is headed back to Michigan for the next step of his career.

A person with knowledge of the agreement said the Detroit Pistons will land Robinson on a three-year, $48 million contract and the Heat will receive wing Simone Fontecchio in what will be a sign-and-trade.

Veteran point guard Dennis Schroder has agreed to join the Sacramento Kings on a three-year deal, the third of which is not fully guaranteed, a person with knowledge of that agreement said Tuesday. ESPN reported the deal is worth $45 million.

Schroder, who is entering his 13th NBA season, is joining his 10th club — and ninth in the last seven years. He spent the first five seasons of his career with Atlanta, before playing at OKC, the Lakers (twice), Boston, Houston, Toronto, Brooklyn, Golden State and Detroit. He has averaged 13.9 points and 4.9 assists in 849 regular-season games.

Agencies via Xinhua