Damian Lillard, Bucks
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Damian Lillard is now a free agent after the Milwaukee Bucks waived him to sign center Myles Turner.
In a shocking turn of events on Tuesday, July 1, the Milwaukee Bucks cut Damian Lillard to make way for the signing of center Myles Turner.
Normally, a player who is cut from the team, especially at Lillard’s stature, will feel bad. But in another surprising twist, Lillard is feeling the opposite, Sam Amick of The Athletic reports.
“League sources say Damian Lillard is elated with the Bucks’ decision to waive and stretch his contract, as it puts him in the kind of basketball-first position that few All-Star-level players, if any, have experienced in league history. In short, he’ll be able to join the contending team of his choosing, either sometime soon or perhaps next summer, without the financial aspect of the decision playing a significant part,” Amick wrote in the aftermath of the Bucks’ stunning decision.
With Lillard unable to play next season due to an Achilles injury, the Bucks stretched and waived the remaining $113 million on his contract, which will hit their cap room with $22.5 million in dead money for each of the next five seasons. It allowed them to sign Turner to a four-year, $107 million deal with the Bucks, plus a player option for year four in 2028-29 and a full 15% trade kicker, per ESPN’s senior NBA insider Shams Charania.
Giannis Not ‘Pleased’
Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
Getty Milwaukee Bucks star duo no more. The Bucks broke up Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo in a stunning turn of events.
It was a dream scenario for Lillard, according to Amick, as the nine-time All-Star still gets paid even if he signs for the veteran minimum deal while having the freedom to choose where he will play next.
“Not surprisingly, league sources say Lillard received calls from several contending teams very quickly after the news of his Bucks’ ending broke. The question now is whether he wants to sign with a team now and rehabilitate while under their care or wait until next summer to reassess the situation,” Amick wrote.
But Giannis Antetokounmpo was not pleased with the Bucks’ decision to waive Lillard, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes.
Lillard leaves the Bucks after two seasons of an awkward pairing with Antetokounmpo. They never clicked as a pair, though their 73-43 record says otherwise. But the most damning truth is that they never won a playoff series together.
The 34-year-old Lillard averaged 24.6 points, 7.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds in his two seasons in Milwaukee, where the Portland Trail Blazers shipped him instead of his top choice Miami in 2023.
Despite reportedly not being pleased with Lillard getting cut, Antetokounmpo welcomed the opportunity to have Turner as his new frontcourt partner following the departure of Brook Lopez, who bolted Milwaukee to join the Los Angeles Clippers on the first day of free agency.
“Turner and Antetokounmpo valued the opportunity to partner on the court during the process, sources told ESPN,” Charania reported.
Bucks Continue Reshaping Roster
Turner represents the latest big move the Bucks have pulled off in their effort to keep Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee.
In 2020, the Bucks traded for Jrue Holiday in a move that helped them win Antetokounmpo’s first championship and the city’s first since 1971. Then in 2023, the Bucks secured Antetokounmpo’s extension after they flipped Holiday for Lillard. Now, they have turned Lillard into Turner while keeping their top draft capital (2031 or 2032 first-round pick).
On the court, Antetokounmpo and Turner form an inside-outside twin tower in a wide-open Eastern Conference weakened by Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum and Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton‘s Achilles injuries.
Turner gives Antetokounmpo another floor-spacing frontcourt partner.
The former Pacers center shot a career-best 39.6% from the 3-point line this past season. He played a key role in the Pacers’ Cinderella run to the NBA Finals, averaging 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and a team-best 2.0 blocks per game.
Shortly after Turner’s signing, the Bucks continue their aggressive re-tooling by signing veteran wing Gary Harris to a two-year deal, Charania reports.
The Bucks have also brought back Bobby Portis (3-year, $44 million), Gary Trent Jr. (2-year, $7.5 million), Taurean Prince (2-year, $7.1 million), Kevin Porter Jr. (2-year, $11 million) and reserve center Jericho Sims.
They also got a new point guard, trading for former Euroleague MVP Vasilije Micic in exchange for Pat Connaughton and two of their own second-round picks (2031, 2032), Charania reports.