Dec 23, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) warms up prior to the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Bucks' Decision to Waive Damian Lillard Could Pay Big Dividends in One Way, Says Insider

Originally posted on Milwaukee Bucks on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated Aug 13, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The Milwaukee Bucks made the shocking decision to waive-and-stretch Damian Lillard in order to make room for Myles Turner. Turner signed a four-year, $108.9 million deal to come to Milwaukee.

Lillard is not going to play at all next season after tearing his Achilles tendon. He wasn't going to help the Bucks at all next year, so that's part of the reason why they let him go.

While Lillard was the second-best player that the Bucks had for each of the last two seasons, they might actually be better off without him this season, according to one NBA insider.

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The Bucks should be a much better defensive team without Damian Lillard

John Schumann of NBA.com believes that the Bucks might be better served not having Lillard on their team next season.

"The Bucks were much better in 767 minutes with Antetokounmpo on the floor without Lillard (plus-11.0 points per 100 possessions) than they were in 1,326 minutes with the two stars on the floor together last season."

It was pretty clear by the end of the year that Lillard and Antetokounmpo just didn't fit together on the court. They didn't fit together on the court, mainly because of how poorly Lillard played on defense.

Adding Myles Turner to the team should help them on the defensive end of the court, as well. He is a better defender than Lopez is at this point because he has more lateral quickness.

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The Milwaukee Bucks might fit better together on the court after the departure of Damian Lillard

Lillard has always had issues on the defensive end, although it's not for a lack of trying. He's just too small to be able to affect bigger guards on the perimeter.

When he gets switched on, players attack him as much as they can because they know that he won't put up much of a fight. Milwaukee should improve immensely on defense without him.

How they play on the offensive end of the court will be determined by how Giannis Antetokounmpo and Turner play with each other.

This past season, Lillard averaged 24.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game. He shot 44.8 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.