Bucks Made Bold Move In Adding Myles Turner, But Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Future Still Feels Shaky

It was a stunning same-day move that no one saw coming. Damian Lillard was out. Myles Turner was in. And the Milwaukee Bucks made it clear they’re continuing to chase the form that delivered an NBA championship in 2021.

But is Turner enough? Will his presence move the needle and convince Giannis Antetokounmpo that this is the place to be? ESPN’s Brian Windhorst is among those who seemingly aren’t so sure.

“You definitely have to applaud the Bucks for doing everything they possibly could to good players around Giannis,” Windhorst said in a Threads video. “My thing is it cost the Bucks about $200 million — $113 that they’re gonna spend on Dame over the next five years, they’re gonna have to pay it over five years, and $107 million that they’re going to spend on Myles Turner. And my belief is it’s not a $200 million upgrade.”

Antetokounmpo hasn’t said much about remaining with the Bucks, but he definitely hasn’t so much as hinted at a desire to leave, either. Word around the NBA is that his preference is to remain with the franchise. But again, there’s really no clarity.

“You don’t have Giannis doing backflips and saying I’m absolutely going to be here,” Windhorst said. “You’ve got him saying probably. Now, ‘probably’ is worth a lot, but ideally, if you’re going to go through that type of move (for Turner) and you’re going to encumber yourself for the rest of the decade with your salary cap, you’re going to want it to be such a significant upgrade that Giannis leaving is totally taken off the table.

“I don’t know what’s gonna happen there, but ‘I don’t know’ is not what you’re looking for when you do something that’s so aggressive.”

Lillard has since returned to the Portland Trail Blazers in free agency, signaling the end of a failed partnership. The Bucks made the deal hoping he would be the final piece. Instead, it ended with Milwaukee falling to Turner and the eventual Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs.

That marked the third straight first-round exit for the Bucks, following a semifinal appearance in 2022 and the title run the year before. The brief Lillard era now officially goes down as a bust.

Milwaukee also signed former Magic guard Cole Anthony, who was briefly traded to Memphis in the Desmond Bane deal before being waived. He joins a backcourt that includes Kevin Porter Jr. and Gary Trent Jr., both of whom are still trying to carve out roles under Doc Rivers.

Other holdovers include forwards Kyle Kuzma, Bobby Portis, Taurean Prince, and guard Ryan Rollins. It’s a roster with plenty of names, but one that still feels like it’s searching for cohesion.

Antetokounmpo remains the constant. But even that feels a little shakier than usual.