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Bucks Shockingly Waive Damian Lillard After Myles Turner News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt Levine | Last updated Jul 1, 2025 12:22 PM ET

The Milwaukee Bucks are waiving star guard Damian Lillard. This comes after the team signed center Myles Turner in free agency.

It was announced that the Bucks had signed Turner out of nowhere. But due to financial issues, Milwaukee didn't have the cap space to make it happen.

Many assumed that the team had agreed to a sign-and-trade with the Indiana Pacers for the services of Turner. But this move allows the Bucks to put together a more competitive team for the foreseeable future.

ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported the news of both the Turner signing and Lillard being waived.

Just in: The Milwaukee Bucks are waiving Damian Lillard and stretching the remaining $113 million on his contract in order to acquire Myles Turner, sources tell ESPN. Lillard's two seasons in Milwaukee come to an end as he rehabilitates a torn Achilles tendon. pic.twitter.com/eg1D1TMFM6
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2025

Milwaukee will now be paying Lillard around $22 million in dead cap for the next five seasons. That will take up a lot of the cap for the team, but the opportunity to add a player like Turner was one that the team couldn't pass up.

The Bucks had been dealing with trade rumors around star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo all summer. But with these two moves, it seems that Antetokounmpo could be here to stay, at least for now.

Lillard is rehabbing from a torn Achilles that he suffered during the playoffs. The star guard is likely to be out for most of next season, but he could always return for the playoffs.

Some team will likely give him a chance to rehab in their building, and potentially have him for the stretch run. Lillard is one of the better offensive players when healthy, but it remains to be seen how the injury will impact him down the line.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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