The 2025 National Basketball Association Offseason has been, in better words…..a pandemonium. Headlines from Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets to Desmond Bane becoming an Orlando Magic have shown that the NBA landscape is in a seismic shift. A shift that is in opportunity and direction for a championship. And who could blame them considering that the two teams in the 2025 NBA Finals — the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers have given their respective conferences a reality check on how to handle their franchises for a deep playoff run.
The Western Conference is going to be deemed as the “Wild West” for its stacked teams and playoff risers. However, on the Eastern front — with superstar players such as Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) and Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers) suffering — they will likely be sidelined for the next season. The Eastern Conference teams have been gearing up for a push to win, considering it can be potentially open to make the Finals.
Interestingly, the Milwaukee Bucks are starting to make some noise in the offseason and their recent decisions have been rather surprising, to say the least.
The Situation
On the first of July, the Milwaukee Bucks signed former Pacer center, Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million dollar deal. This was rather unexpected since the Pacers made an incredible postseason run with him as a decent contributor. I originally thought the Pacers did not want to extend him due to his rather mediocre performance in the finals. Apparently, there were talks with the longest-tenured Pacer to sign but the franchise were averse to push over the tax and the rest is history.
Also shocking — in order for the Milwaukee Bucks to complete this deal, they waived off star guard Damian Lillard – ouch. Even Giannis Antetokounmpo was allegedly not pleased with the decision. Nonetheless, it did not stop him from recruiting Myles Turner—who sources have mentioned played a big role in Turner’s willingness to be a Buck.
Off topic but reading this out loud should make an Indiana Pacer fan squirm in ire. The Pacers have owned the Bucks for the last two years — joining a team that you defeated is a present dripped in irony. Plus, for the last seven years — Turner has always been rumored in trade talks so despite his vocal loyalties to the franchise, he may have wanted to take matters into his own hands.
Does This Work?
I have criticized the Milwaukee Bucks’ future previously, but this signing is a step in the right direction., He’s a non-traditional center with elite shooting mechanics and has solid defensive instincts: a bona fide modern rim protector. Just like adding Lego blocks to the finished product — it improves their defense significantly. The Bucks have been declining defensively, so a retool after the departure of Brook Lopez is a benefit.
The Milwaukee Bucks, as of now, have the backcourt of Kevin Porter Jr. and Gary Trent, which makes things streaky but I guess it’s needed for offensive production. And Kyle Kuzma…don’t get me started.
This helps the Bucks tremendously for Center depth, but is it enough to compete? Right now, definitely not. Myles Turner is good but he’s not enough to get you over the hump. General manager Jon Hurst has to do a bit more to get the Bucks in a better position, or else they might experience Turner’s injury and mediocre performances come playoff time next year.
Make Giannis happy!
