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Kendrick Perkins says Milwaukee Bucks need to bring in former MVP on cheap deal to follow Myles Turner

Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Aikansh Chaudhary | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 5:04 PM ET

The Milwaukee Bucks waiving Damian Lillard ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season may not be a bad thing.

At first glance, the Milwaukee Bucks stretching Damian Lillard’s $113 million deal to five years by waiving him may seem like a poor decision.

The primary reason behind the decision was to make room to sign ex-Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner to a $107 million contract. However, by doing so, the Bucks may have angered their cornerstone star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

While that seems to be the consensus, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins has a different outlook on it.

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Kendrick Perkins applauds the Milwaukee Bucks for doing a ‘favor’ on Damian Lillard

Lillard will soon turn 35 years old, and he’ll likely miss the majority of the 2025-26 NBA season due to suffering a gruesome torn Achilles tendon injury in the 2025 postseason.

Keeping that in mind, Perkins praised the Bucks for guaranteeing Dame’s rest of the contract, albeit the veteran guard having a player option in the final year of the deal.

“I feel like the Milwaukee Bucks actually did Damian Lillard a favor. You’re not going to be back for the next entire season, we are going to guarantee your money.

“We are going to let you go back to Portland to be with your family. We know really that you didn’t want to be a Milwaukee Buck,” Perkins said on The Road Trippin’ podcast.

He further continued and applauded the franchise for doing their best to build a win-now team around Antetokounmpo each offseason.

“Shoutout to the Milwaukee Bucks, every season, every trade deadline they try to do what they supposed to do, go all in, make a splash, to surround Giannis with the pieces to compete. It doesn’t always work out, but they try,” Big Perk added.

Kendrick Perkins urges the Milwaukee Bucks to sign Russell Westbrook after ‘huge move’

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While bringing in Turner will bolster the Bucks’ defense, it leaves a huge gap at the point guard position. To fulfill that void, the Bucks can either rely on Giannis or take the simpler approach of signing a PG for cheap during free agency.

Speaking of which, the name of Russell Westbrook came to Perkins’ mind following the Bucks’ decision to sign Turner.

“The fact [that] they were able to scoop up Myles Turner, grab him from their rival, that was a huge move,” Perkins continued.

He concluded: “I think they should bring in Russell Westbrook. Give Russell Westbrook four or five million dollars, bring him in. What is going to hurt?”