INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard met with the media Monday for the first time since Pascal Siakam’s contract re-signing last summer and in over a half-hour, covered a wide array of topics from the Pacers’ magical NBA Finals run to Tyrese Haliburton’s heartbreaking Achilles tendon tear to Myles Turner’s departure for Milwaukee to the Pacers’ attempts to make up for his absence.

Here are five key takeaways.

Myles Turner signing with Milwaukee was a shock

Days after the Pacers lost to the Thunder in Game 7 of the Finals with Haliburton’s injury seemingly altering the course of not only that game, but the Pacers near-to-mid-term future, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said in a radio interview re-signing center Myles Turner was still the franchise’s No. 1 off-season priority. At that point, the Pacers still had about a six-day head start when they could negotiate with Turner before anyone else could. However on July 1, news broke Turner would sign a four-year, $107-million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks and would leave the Pacers after 10 years with the franchise.

There were conflicting reports about what the Pacers offered Turner and Pritchard declined to give specifics, but he said he felt like negotiations were headed toward an agreement. However, Milwaukee surprised the Pacers — and the entire NBA — by waiving and stretching seven-time All-NBA guard Damian Lillard to clear out room under the salary cap to be able to sign Turner without having to make a sign-and-trade.

“(Owners) Herb Simon and Steven Rales and the Simon family were fully prepared to go deep into the tax to keep him and we really wanted to do that,” Pritchard said. “We were negotiating in good faith, but what happens in this league is sometimes you’re negotiating, but because a guy is unrestricted, he has the right to say, ‘That’s the offer I want and I’m gonna take it and that’s best for my family.’ Again, we were in good faith negotiations. It was a little surprising how Milwaukee created that. … Hat tip to Milwaukee to do that.”

The Pacers have not paid the luxury tax in 20 years, but Pritchard said the offer they were willing to make Turner and other moves they were considering would have put them not only above the tax but beyond several initial tax rate thresholds and toward at least the first tax apron. He said the Pacers would have stopped well short of the second tax apron which he called “totally punitive” but he said they were prepared to go up to that line.

Pritchard did not indicate the Pacers had an opportunity to match the Bucks’ offer and said he found out about the signing through social media.

“I just felt like we were working toward a deal, but when you’re unrestricted, as soon as you hear a number that you feel like is good for you, I think he felt like he had to take it,” Pritchard said. “… We would have been open to a sign-and-trade because it’s sort of mutually beneficial, but we didn’t get to that point unfortunately. I saw Shams (Charania of ESPN) tweet it and that’s how I knew.”

Pritchard was asked what his response was to the Charania tweet.

“I think I was shocked if I’m being perfectly honest,” Pritchard said. “I felt like we were going back and forth in an open way.”

James Wiseman and (likely) Isaiah Jackson will be part of center solution

Pritchard was asked how the Pacers would go about replacing Myles Turner. He acknowledged that’s not exactly possible.

“Unless he’s got a clone, I’m not sure you can replace Myles Turner,” Pritchard said.

However, Pritchard noted the weekend trade that acquired center Jay Huff from the Grizzlies. He noted the Pacers re-signed James Wiseman, the former No. 2 overall pick who signed with the Pacers for the 2024-25 season but tore his Achilles tendon in the season opener. The Pacers traded Wiseman at the deadline to the Raptors, but the Raptors waived him and Wiseman spent the rest of the season doing his rehab in Indiana. The signing is presumably low-risk and Pritchard said he thought they saw a lot of good signs from him before his injury.

“We saw a lot of potential in him in the preseason and going up until his injury,” Pritchard said. “Very long. Very athletic. Becoming a better shooter. I think he’s getting to that point where his injury is allowing him to get on the court and — not full, but do a lot.”

Pritchard also said there was a player the Pacers were close to signing who had “been with the team.” When asked if that player was Isaiah Jackson — who is also coming off an early-season Achilles tendon tear — Pritchard acknowledged that was a “good guess.” Jackson is technically a restricted free agent, but he was extended a qualifying offer before the start of free agency. The Pacers also picked up the club option of big man Tony Bradley so they could have four centers under contract by the start of training camp.

Tyrese Haliburton will miss the whole season

Pritchard said there have been nothing but good signs from Tyrese Haliburton since his Achilles tendon tear in Game 7 in the Pacers’ NBA Finals loss to the Thunder.

“I have no doubt that he will be back better than ever,” Pritchard said. “The surgery went well. It was a little higher. He gets a little more blood to that.”

Still, Pritchard was very clear in saying the Pacers will not attempt to rush him back regardless of what happens in the 2025-26 season.

“He will not play next year, though,” Pritchard said. “We would not jeopardize that now. Don’t get any hopes up that he will play.”

Pritchard noted it will be hard for Haliburton, who is so devoted to basketball, to have to take a whole year off, but he said he will be constantly seeking his counsel. Pritchard has noted before Haliburton will have a voice in the franchise’s personnel decisions going forward as he is its central figure. Now he’ll have a voice without actually being able to play.

“He’s going to have time to fill,” Pritchard said. “I’ve joked with him, he’s just going to have to be my general manager the next couple of years. Which will be a lot better than (general manager) Chad (Buchanan).”

Pritchard said he had a discussion with Haliburton about Turner’s departure on Sunday, however, and he would keep that discussion private.

Pritchard said he believes the Pacers would have won Game 7 if Haliburton hadn’t been injured. He said he was very stressed about Haliburton’s decision to play through the calf strain he suffered in Game 5, but he didn’t feel like he could tell him he couldn’t play in Game 7 after he’d played in Game 6 without incident.

“We felt we were a little bit out of the woods and we weren’t, obviously,” Pritchard said. “… He’s told me many times — and this just shows you what kind of kid he is — ‘I would do it over and over.’ If you’re asking me, would I have him do it over and over? I would not. I would not. If I knew that he was going to get hurt, I would sacrifice that game because I care for the kid so much and want him to have an incredible career.”

Pritchard said the Pacers are doing research to determine if there are any reasons why they had three players tear an Achilles tendon this season.

“We’re doing a deep dive internally to figure out, are we doing everything we can on preventions?” Pritchard said. “What we know right now is it’s been three freak accidents, but I think it behooves us to take a hard look internally on what we can do.”

Pacers taking time with extensions for Bennedict Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith

Beyond the center issue following Turner’s departure, the Pacers have two more significant decisions to make with wings Bennedict Mathurin and Aaron Nesmith eligible for contract extensions. Mathurin is heading into the final year of his four-year rookie scale contract, though Nesmith has two years left on his deal.

Pritchard would like a little more time before he delves into those issues.

“Can I just have like 24 hours, please?” Pritchard said. “Literally, we went straight from the Finals to the draft to free agency to Summer League.”

He then said those decisions are ones he intends to take his time with because he doesn’t have to be in a rush.

“We’ll look at all those things, but I think that’s a little premature,” Pritchard said. “We’ve got all summer and up until next year to do those. They both had good years.”

Kevin Pritchard pleased with Pacers’ draft picks

Pritchard hadn’t spoken about the Pacers draft choices since they picked Marquette’s Kam Jones No. 38 overall and Taelon Peter of Liberty No. 54 in last week’s draft.

Pritchard said Jones reminds him of Andrew Nembhard as a player and Tyrese Haliburton as a person.

“He’s hyper-positive,” Pritchard said. “… He’s got that kind of an ‘it factor’ of, that’s a Pacer.”

However, Pritchard said Jones is dealing with a hamstring injury and will be watched closely in the NBA Summer League.

Pritchard said though Peter wasn’t ranked highly on many draft boards, he was high on the Pacers’.

“He’s considered one of the best shooters in the league (college basketball),” Pritchard said. “Movement and shooting is what this league is about right now.”

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers free agency: Myles Turner leaves, James Wiseman returns, more