Report: Damian Lillard had surprising reaction to being waived by Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks stunned the NBA on Tuesday when they decided to waive Damian Lillard, but the star point guard is said to be excited for the future.

The Bucks will waive Lillard and stretch the remaining $113 million on his contract over the next five seasons. By freeing up some money in the near term, Milwaukee was able to sign veteran center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million deal.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Lillard is “elated” that the Bucks waived him. The nine-time All-Star is now in the rare position of being able to sign with a championship contender on a team-friendly deal while still collecting his salary from Milwaukee.

There will be a salary offset for any team that signs Lillard either next season or in 2026-27. That means the Bucks would only owe the difference between their original salary to Lillard and whatever his next team was to pay him. However, there is a good chance Lillard will simply sign with a contender for the veteran minimum; that way, his next team will be in as strong a position as possible.

Amick reports that Lillard has already heard from several contending teams since the Bucks decided to waive him.

Lillard suffered a torn Achilles during the opening round of the playoffs. He has a long road to recovery and could miss the entire 2025-26 season. If doctors do not believe he will be able to play next season, Lillard may decide to rehab on his own before committing to a new team.

Lillard will turn 35 later in July. He played at a high level when healthy this season with 25.1 points, 6.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game, though he was limited to just 58 games.

But, again, Lillard will almost certainly make reasonable salary demands. That should allow him to take his pick of several different contending teams.

Lillard may be pleased about Milwaukee’s decision to waive him, but it does not sound like the same can be said for Giannis Antetokounmpo.