NBA Trade Rumor: Myles Turner Lands With Boston Celtics in Proposed Deal

The Boston Celtics still don't know if it's realistic that Jayson Tatum will return this season. He suffered a torn Achilles in last year's playoffs, and the C's tore down the team over the summer to get under the onerous second apron. This year was supposed to be a write-off. But a funny thing happened on the way to the lottery for the Celtics. They're actually the 3-seed currently in the East, 25 games into the season.

And if Tatum were to somehow return in time for the playoffs (Brian Robb of MassLive writes, "the possibility that Jayson Tatum could return at some point this season is looking more realistic by the day"), then they better be prepared to compete.

For that, they'll need a legit center, after trading away Kristaps Porzingis in their summer sell-off. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report has proposed the following deal, which would land Myles Turner in Boston, if and when the Milwaukee Bucks are ever ready to throw in the towel.

Boston Celtics receive:

Myles Turner

Milwaukee Bucks receive:

Anfernee Simons
Josh Minott
2026 second-round pick (via DET, MIL or ORL)
2031 first-round pick (top-3 protected)

This, of course, would only be a possibility if Giannis Antetokounmpo were to ask the Bucks for a trade, and set the franchise into reset mode. They just signed Turner to a big four-year, $108.9 million contract in free agency this past summer, stunning his incumbent Indiana Pacers. Turner had just helped lead the Pacers to two straight NBA Finals appearances. Though they, too, are without their own superstar Tyrese Haliburton this season, also due to a torn Achilles.

But Turner would fill a big hole for the Celtics, who not only traded Porzingis, but also lost Al Horford to free agency. Their big man rotation is a shell of what it was during the championship year of 2024. If Tatum does indeed come back, the Celts should be "providing Tatum with a team capable of high-level competition whenever that happens," writes Buckley.

As for the Bucks, they would basically just be getting out from under Turner's $108 million, plus getting a first-round pick. Simons is on an expiring contract, and is not having a good year in Boston. Minott was a second-round pick, an athletic power forward with relentless energy, and a switchable defensive presence. Perhaps he's someone the Bucks could be interested in keeping down the line. He's averaging 19 minutes in the Celtics' rotation this season, his 4th year in the NBA. There's a club option on his contract for next season at a reasonable $2.5M.