Perhaps it’s just purely coincidental. Nevertheless, timing is everything. With that being said, just a day after ESPN senior insider Shams Charania reported that there’s still a sense Giannis Antetokounmpo is still mulling his future with the Milwaukee Bucks (h/t Oh No He Didn’t on X), the former MVP’s team’s made a couple of stunning decisions.
Bucks Release Damian Lillard, Sign Myles Turner
The Bucks “are waiving” All-Star guard Damian Lillard “and stretching the remaining $113 million on his contract in order to acquire” Indiana Pacers free agent center Myles Turner, per Charania.
Turner, an exceptional floor-spacer and elite rim-protector, “has agreed to a four-year, $107 million deal… plus a player option for year four in 2028-29 and a full 15% trade kicker,” he adds.
This deal allows the Bucks to replace Brook Lopez with a younger version of himself. Lopez, who spent the past seven seasons with Milwaukee, agreed to sign a contract with the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. His departure marked the end of an era for the Bucks; Antetokounmpo is now the last core player standing from their title team.
Gift Or Curse?
Lillard landed in Milwaukee only because the Bucks opted to trade Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers. Holiday was eventually re-routed to the Boston Celtics, where he won his second NBA championship. In that same time span, Milwaukee was struggling to get the on-court chemistry right between Lillard and Antetokounmpo.
Eventually, the two did finally start to click. However, the Bucks then traded three-time All-Star Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma. Now, Middleton’s injury history left no doubt about why he was moved. However, he wasn’t exactly chopped liver. Indeed, he had just averaged 24.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
When the 2025 NBA Playoffs rolled around, Kuzma was nowhere near Middleton’s level. In five games, the 29-year-old averaged 5.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. That series also saw Lillard tear his Achilles, a potentially career-altering injury, especially at his age (34).
Fast forward to today and Lillard will now be paid not to be on the team. At least the Bucks were able to replace Lopez, though.
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