Pacers’ Myles Turner Changing Agents

Pacers big man Myles Turner is leaving BDA Sports after two years with the agency, according to Marc Stein, who reports (via Twitter) that Turner is expected to sign with CAA Sports for representation going forward.

While it’s not always all that newsworthy when a player changes agents, there are a few factors that make Turner’s switch worth noting. For one, the 26-year-old is in on an expiring contract and has long been considered a trade candidate, so it’s a big year for him. He could sign the biggest contract of his career during next summer’s free agent period — or even earlier, if he agrees to an extension.

As Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files observes (via Twitter), BDA Sports represents Suns center Deandre Ayton, who signed a four-year, maximum-salary offer sheet with Indiana this past offseason. Turner leaving the agency doesn’t necessarily mean he was upset by his representatives putting another client in position to become the Pacers’ center of the future, but it’s possible the Ayton situation factored into his decision.

Agness also points out that a handful of Pacers players – including franchise cornerstone Tyrese Haliburton – are already represented by CAA. Again, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Turner will be looking to sign a long-term contract to remain in Indiana, but if the two sides open extension negotiations, it certainly won’t hurt.

The Pacers can offer Turner a first-year salary of up to $21.6MM on a straight-up veteran extension. However, they could bump that number upward if they were to renegotiate his current-year salary, as we outlined earlier this month.