Subscribe
Follow Us
The Milwaukee Bucks made an unprecedented move yesterday when they waived Damian Lillard's massive contract in order to create space to sign Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner.
While some have applauded the Bucks for being creative in upgrading their roster immediately, considering Lillard, 34, was expected to miss the entire next season due to injury, others have criticized the decision for its perceived lack of forethought.
“Reckless,” one executive said, via ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Jamal Collier.
“That's a move you talk yourself into in the boardroom in July when you have nowhere else to go,” another executive said, “and you turn a bad situation into a worse one. They're going to look at this in two years and say, ‘What did we do?'”
Waiving Lillard caught pretty much the entire NBA off guard, including Lillard himself, depending on whose report you believe. The reason for that shock is that Lillard, in addition to being an All-Star-level player when healthy, was also about to begin a two-year, $112.6 million contract extension that he signed in July 2022 when he was still part of the Portland Trail Blazers.
In waiving him, the Bucks managed to ‘stretch' Lillard's deal; instead of paying the more than $100 million over the next two years, Milwaukee will now pay the total over the course of five years, reducing the cap hit in 2025-26 and 2026-27 while adding $22.5 million to their books from 2027-30.
Turner's contract is reportedly for four years and $107 million, with the fourth year being a player option worth $28.6 million. Between him and Lillard, the Bucks currently owe them a combined $47.4 million next season, $48.6 million in 2026-27, $49.9 million in 2027-28, and $51.1 million in 2028-29 (provided Turner exercises his option), in addition to the $22.5 million Lillard would receive in 2029-30. The exact figure the Bucks will pay Lillard will depend on what contracts he may sign during the next two years, as the amount can be partially offset and reduce the Bucks' burden.
The Bucks entered this offseason unsure of Giannis Antetokounmpo's status, as he was reportedly considering requesting a trade following yet another first-round playoff loss, which included Lillard suffering an Achilles injury. Antetokounmpo still being on the roster and presumably pushing for the team to upgrade the roster could be a realistic reason for Milwaukee making as desperate a move as this one.
Other than replacing Lillard with Turner, the Bucks have re-signed Bobby Portis, Kevin Porter Jr., Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince, and Jericho Sims. They have also acquired or signed Vasilje Micic and Gary Harris.
