Pacers sign rumored trade candidate to contract extension

Feb 10, 2020; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) warms up before the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The Indiana Pacers are putting an end to trade speculation surrounding one of their key players.

The Pacers agreed to a two-year contract extension with center Myles Turner on Saturday. The deal, which includes a renegotiation of Turner’s 2022-23 salary, will be worth $60 million in total.

Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner has agreed on a two-year, $60M contract extension that includes an additional $17.1M renegotiation on his 2022-2023 salary, his agent Austin Brown of CAA Sports tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/17nSSwN14z

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 28, 2023

Turner was due to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and the March 1 contract deadline was looming large, even when talks opened last month. The center’s uncertain long-term status had made him a frequent subject of trade rumors for much of the first part of the season.

Turner, who turns 27 in March, is averaging a career-high 17.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. The Pacers would no doubt love to build around him and Tyrese Haliburton, and they can begin filling out the roster around them now that they know Turner will be in town for at least a while longer.