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The Milwaukee Bucks are standing firm on their decision to waive Damian Lillard in order to sign Myles Turner, with general manager Jon Horst offering detailed insight into the strategy behind the high-stakes move.
In an interview with Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Horst acknowledged the complexity of parting ways with Lillard, a nine-time All-Star, just two years after acquiring him. But he emphasized the front office’s belief in Turner’s value — both immediate and long-term — as justification for absorbing Lillard’s stretched $113 million salary across five years.
“I think every decision, every move that you make, has risk and reward, so there’s nothing unique about that in this case,” Horst told Nehm. “We looked at the opportunity to acquire a highly productive, elite free agent, who is in the prime of his career, and who is an incredible fit next to Giannis, as an opportunity for these next two seasons in particular, instead of what would have been Dame on our books at a full salary, as really opportunistic, more than anything.”
Bucks GM says Myles Turner was worth the cost to maximize Giannis Antetokounmpo’s prime
Milwaukee signed Turner, 29, to a four-year, $107 million deal that includes a player option in the final season and a 15% trade kicker. The veteran center joins the Bucks after spending a decade with the Indiana Pacers, where he developed into one of the league’s premier rim protectors and floor-spacing bigs.
To create the cap space required for Turner’s deal, the Bucks waived Lillard and stretched his contract — an aggressive move that raised eyebrows across the league. Horst addressed the financial ramifications directly.
“The carry for the following three years, there’s no question that if you want to call it an impediment or another hurdle, that’s fine,” Horst said. “But we were dealing with a really big hurdle and complication that we had to figure out how to deal with now, and the now matters more than anything.”
He added that the franchise remains focused on capitalizing on the championship window around Giannis Antetokounmpo, who signed a three-year extension last fall.
“Maximizing Giannis’ prime, our opportunities to win — I feel like that’s our responsibility always,” Horst said. “So it was really a now versus future decision.”
Jon Horst views Turner’s production as worth the cost of Damian Lillard’s stretched deal
Lillard averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 assists in 58 games during the 2024–25 season but struggled with injuries, including a torn Achilles during Milwaukee’s first-round playoff loss to Indiana. While the financial burden of his stretched contract remains, Horst pointed to Turner’s four years of expected production as a counterbalance.
“That being said, Myles is an incredible player in the prime of his career for four years,” Horst said. “So four of those five years, we have Myles Turner, so it wasn’t like we just did something now and then we have to take four years of risk beyond this year and four years of carry without any production.”
He concluded that the ripple effects of the decision will benefit the team in ways that extend beyond Turner’s presence.
“There (are) other things that we did, there (are) other moves that we made, other players we’re able to acquire because of this move now that I believe will outweigh the carry of the 20-plus million dollars that we have,” Horst said.
The Bucks continue to reshape their roster following back-to-back early playoff exits, with Turner’s arrival viewed as a cornerstone move in their latest effort to contend.
