The jokes were inevitably waiting for Myles Turner when he showed up for practice on Tuesday. The news of his four-year contract extension from the Pacers had broken the previous evening, so this was the first chance for his teammates to take shots at him.
They mostly consisted of the standard dinner's-on-you jokes one years upon receiving a financial windfall, but he had a ready answer.
"People don't understand, that doesn't kick in until next year," Turner said, laughing after Tuesday's practice at St. Vincent Center.
The contract agreement has kept him laughing and his cell phone buzzing since he put ink to paper within an hour of Monday's 6 p.m. deadline. Although he had said all along he wasn't focused intently on reaching an agreement and says now he
would have played just as eagerly this season without one, he feels better having it.
"Some sense of relief," he said.
"A huge confidence boost," he added.
To which Turner's coach, Nate McMillan, couldn't resist another joke.
"What is it?" McMillan asked. "Eighty-two (million)? Seventy-two? It would boost my confidence."
Although Turner can now play completely confident of the franchise's faith in him and not have to be distracted by constant questions about his impending free agency, he says his mindset hasn't been altered by the raise he'll be receiving.
His mindset was established when training camp began, the result of his yoga sessions and on-court workouts. He added five pounds of weight while dropping his body fat from 14 percent to eight, and improved his endurance and agility. Among other things, he says he feels "less wobbly."
The end result is that he plans to be more aggressive, particularly on defense, while playing more relaxed as well. He has written "TYT!" with a black marking pen on his left shoe, a reminder to "take your time."
"There's a lot of times I rush," he said.
Turner has indeed seemed calmer throughout the preseason, even in his interactions with media. While he once stood and gave quick, often vague answers following practice, giving the impression he wanted to escape as quickly as possible, he now sits and engages with more complete responses. He stood on Tuesday so the horde waiting to talk with him could see and hear him better, but was patient and expansive throughout a claustrophobic interview session lasting more than 10 minutes.
He took his time. And he was honest.
Myles Turner's extension keeps him under contract with the Pacers through the 2022-23 season. (Photo: NBAE/Getty Images)
"I'm keeping a poker face now, keeping it calm, but it was a very emotional moment for me," he said of his reaction to his contract.
Asked his aspirations now that his future with the Pacers appears more certain, he added: "We've never won a (NBA) championship. We talk about that internally every day. Just to be able to get that first one...I remember when I was in Dallas and Dallas got that first championship (in 2011), the whole vibe, the whole buzz of the city just changed. I'd love to experience that in Indianapolis."
Had the Pacers and Turner not reached an agreement by 6 p.m. on Monday, he would have become a restricted free agent at the end of the season. If he shows improvement this season, as he expects and is expected to do, he might have attracted a max contract at a higher number from another team that the Pacers would have to match to keep him. Several NBA teams are expected to have significant salary cap room next summer, and proven players will command massive salaries.
An often-ignored element of signings such as this one is that at the very least it offers security for the franchise as well as the player, no matter how it works out in the long run.
Consider the most recent long-term contracts of this nature the Pacers have awarded, the ones for Paul George, Jermaine O'Neal, and Jalen Rose. All three were eventually traded after turning in some productive seasons with the Pacers, and all three deals brought improvement to the franchise.
The trade involving Rose, who was dealt to Chicago in 2002, brought Ron Artest, Brad Miller, Ron Mercer, and Kevin Ollie. O'Neal's trade to Toronto in 2008 brought Maceo Baston, Rasho Nesterovic, T.J. Ford, and the first-round draft pick used to select future All-Star Roy Hibbert. In return for George, of course, the Pacers received Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
It works the other way, too. Oklahoma City signed Oladipo to a massive four-year contract extension shortly after the season began two years ago. While some might have thought he didn't play up to that contract (which didn't go into effect until last season), he became an asset that helped bring George to the Thunder. And, coincidentally or not, he lifted his game to match the value of his contract after joining the Pacers.
"You've got to believe in yourself, but when the people who believe in you are the people in the front office, your teammates, the coaching staff, it makes it that much better," Oladipo said. "It makes you want to go out there and give it your all.
"He's what, 23?" Oladipo asked.
Told that Turner is 22, Oladipo said, "C'mon, bro. When I was 22 I was in my second year in the league."
At 22, and with the security of a new contract, Turner doesn't have to rush. Improvement will come if he continues to work, and so will more contracts. Now his focus can shift to a wider perspective – such as the one Oladipo expressed on Tuesday.
"What legacy will you leave? That's what I'm focused on."
Oladipo, Young Voted Captains
The players have voted Oladipo and Thaddeus Young captains for the season. Young and Turner were last season's captains.
Oladipo said he's never been a team captain, even in high school or college.
"A little shocking for me," Oladipo said. "There's some older guys on the team who have a little more experience, but then again it shows you what my teammates think about me. It's a privilege and I'm honored."
Oladipo was selected by his teammates as the Pacers' recipient of the Backbone Award last season, an honor sponsored by the National Basketball Players Association that recognizes players who are the "heart and soul" of their team.
He further established his leadership by organizing a weeklong mini-camp for his teammates in Miami in August.
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