Bucks Slammed by NBA Hall of Famer for Damian Lillard Treatment

The Milwaukee Bucks shockingly waived eight-time NBA All-Star guard Damian Lillard on Tuesday.

The decision came after the Bucks signed former Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million contract. Turner will replace center Brook Lopez, who signed a two-year $18 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers the day before.

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Lillard was one of three players who tore his Achilles tendon during the playoffs, along with Pacers’ point guard Tyrese Haliburton and Boston Celtics’ forward Jayson Tatum.

After sustaining the injury in Game 4 of the first-round playoff series against the Pacers, Lillard underwent surgery to repair the tendon on May 2. He will likely miss all of next season recovering from the injury.

The Bucks desperately need more financial flexibility, especially if they want to keep All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and the two years remaining on his $186 million contract.

And so, Milwaukee made the controversial decision to waive Lillard while he navigates a long and challenging recovery process. 

Although the move may have helped the Bucks financially, NBA Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony criticized Milwaukee for their lack of loyalty to Lillard.

In three separate Instagram comments, he wrote “NO LOYALTY IN SPORTS!!!”, “BUSINESS PER USUAL!!”, and “SMH (shaking my head)”.