Giannis might still leave the Bucks hanging after Myles Turner gamble

Milwaukee moved heaven and earth to sign Myles Turner in an effort to appease Giannis Antetokounmpo. And it might not work.
Milwaukee Bucks v Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks v Indiana Pacers | Andy Lyons/GettyImages

The Milwaukee Bucks did something completely unexpected on Tuesday, which is a rare occurrence in today's media landscape. Myles Turner signed a four-year, $107 million contract to leave the reigning Eastern Conference champs in Indiana and head to Milwaukee, once his foremost rivals. In order to create the cap space out of thin air, the Bucks waived and stretched the remaining two years and $113 million on Damian Lillard's contract.

So Dame is a free agent and Turner is a Buck, replacing the departed Brook Lopez in the frontcourt. It's a tremendous fit on paper, with Turner splashing 3s and providing a bit more defensive versatility than Lopez at this stage of their respective careers. ESPN's Shams Charania even reported that Turner and Giannis are excited about playing together.

But Milwaukee is not out of the weeds yet. Giannis can still decide he wants to leave when the dust settles in free agency and he takes full measure of the situation at hand. While the Bucks are admirably risking life, limb and tax money to convince Giannis to stick around, signing Turner alone — and taking on $22.5 million annually in dead money for the next five years — has not guaranteed Antetokounmpo's commitment.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is not 100 percent sold on Bucks' future after Myles Turner signing

"Giannis will continue to evaluate not just what happened today, but what's happening all offseason in Milwaukee," according to Shams Charania on ESPN's NBA Today. "Sources tell me that it's more than just tonight. At the end of the offseason, my understanding is Giannis will ask himself... can I win a championship?"

So the Bucks are truly gambling their future in what may ultimately prove to be a disastrous miscalculation. Turner does replace Lopez, but at the expense of Dame ever coming back — and at the expense of $22.5 million annually over the next five years, which means Milwaukee essentially spent $220 million to sign Turner. The Bucks will still be paying Lillard when Turner's contract expires.

That is a tough position for the front office to operate from. The Bucks don't have draft assets to trade or much financial flexibility left to speak of. Aside from Giannis and Turner, their next-best players are... Bobby Portis? Kyle Kuzma? Both frontcourt pieces. The Bucks' backcourt is a mess and it's unclear how exactly Milwaukee can find a servicable point guard to take the reins from Dame.

If at the end of all this, Giannis decides to demand a trade, the Bucks will be stuck between a rock and a hard place. Without control of their next couple drafts, Milwaukee will either need to get those picks back in a trade or simply not tank. It will be hard to rebuild post-Giannis, even with the abundance of assets such a trade will return. Then there's the matter of Myles Turner. If Giannis asks out, Turner becomes a bit of a redundant entity and a severe misallocation of resources.

So no, Bucks fans cannot rest easy just yet. The waters are still choppy, and Giannis has the power to blow this offseason to smithereens if he deems Milwaukee's roster inadequate at the end of the day.