Bucks’ stunning Damian Lillard decision is all about keeping Giannis happy, and it could backfire

Photo by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images

Let’s break down the Bucks’ shocking free agency moves that landed Myles Turner and banished Damian Lillard.

Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo seemed like a wonderful pairing on paper. Lillard is the second-greatest pull-up shooter of his generation, while Antetokounmpo is the greatest rim scorer in the league. The Bucks were expecting to compete for championships when they swung a bold trade to acquire Lillard two years ago, but the results couldn’t have been worse.

Milwaukee was eliminated in the first-round of the playoffs in Lillard’s first season after Giannis couldn’t play with an injury. The Bucks were knocked out again in the first-round this season as Lillard tore his Achilles. It sure seemed like Milwaukee didn’t have any moves left to make with a capped-out payroll, no good young players, and very few tradeable future draft picks.

Somehow, the Bucks found a way to add an impact player in free agency anyway, and the end result is the most stunning move of the NBA offseason so far.

The Bucks signed Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million deal on Tuesday. To do it, they “stretched and waived” Lillard — meaning they cut him and spread the $113 million he’s owed on his contract for the next two years over five years instead. Essentially, the Bucks are taking $22.5 million cap hit for the next five years to release Dame and open up the space to sign Turner.

This is a mind-blowing transaction that shows real creativity from Milwaukee’s front office. Let’s hit on some rapid fire points explaining everything involved in this deal.

The Bucks had to get desperate to keep Giannis

The entire NBA has been waiting on Antetokounmpo’s trade request since Lillard tore his Achilles. It hasn’t happened yet, and now the Bucks may have just satisfied their superstar by adding another good player in Turner to the starting lineup. The ball was always in Giannis’ court, and now there’s a chance he can talk himself into competing in a weakened Eastern Conference this year. Sure, the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks suddenly look like contenders, and the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks will remain formidable, but Giannis is still the best player in the conference and no one else is close.

The Bucks have consistently gone all-in around Giannis to keep him happy. They did it first with the Jrue Holiday trade, and that resulted in a championship. They did it again with the Lillard trade, and that was a huge bust. This is another bold move that will cost the Bucks for years to come, but if it keeps Giannis in town, it’s worth it.

Myles Turner is a great scheme fit for the Bucks

The Bucks lost long-time center Brook Lopez to the Clippers in free agency on Monday. Replacing him with a younger player with a similar skill set in Turner is an inspired move. Turner allows the Bucks to have a rim protector next to Giannis while maintaining five-out spacing on offense. Turner made 39.6 percent of his threes this past season, and while it seems like he’s starting to decline a bit athletically, he’s still a decent shot blocker.

Why did the Pacers let Myles Turner walk? Money.

The Pacers never want to pay the luxury tax, and they certainly didn’t want to do it in a year where Tyrese Haliburton was out recovering from his own torn Achilles. Indiana let Turner walk because of the money. It’s probably a wise move in the long-term, but it stinks to see a Finals team decimated so quickly like this.

The Bucks’ cap hit to cut Lillard is unprecedented

Lillard’s $22.5 million salary will take up more than 14 percent of the Bucks’ cap space this season. That number will go down as the cap goes up, but it’s still a massive number on the payroll for five years (!) just to cut him. This is unprecedented stuff in NBA history.

The Bucks did right by Lillard

Lillard didn’t like Milwaukee by all accounts. While getting cut like this is embarrassing for a player of Lillard’s stature, the Bucks either had to trade him or waive him to have any chance of adding more talent around Giannis for next season. Now Lillard gets to pick his next team after he rehabs. This should be viewed as a win-win for the Bucks and Lillard.

Is Giannis actually upset about cutting Dame?

Chris Haynes is Lillard’s right-hand man. He reported Giannis wasn’t happy about cutting Lillard.

Here’s slightly more context from Haynes. This one doesn’t pass the smell test to me. Lillard can’t play in the 2025-26 season. The Bucks needed to add more talent to the team if they wanted to keep Giannis. I don’t know, man.

The Bucks still need a little more

Milwaukee signed Gary Harris and Myles Turner, and re-signed Gary Trent Jr., Bobby Portis, and Kevin Porter Jr. this offseason. They lost Lopez and Lillard, who wasn’t going to play anyway. Are the Bucks an Eastern Conference contender yet? I don’t really think so. They need to pull one more rabbit out of their hat and hope Giannis can put together another signature playoff run. If nothing else, the Bucks are going down swinging, and showing incredible dedication to Giannis. You have to respect it.

This makes the Bucks-Pacers rivalry even better

The Bucks and Pacers have a real rivalry. There’s been beef between these teams for years, and this is only going to make the rivalry even spicier.

The Pacers may be taking a step back next season as Haliburton recovers from injury, but they should be back in business soon with more flexibility with Turner off the books. We can’t wait to see how this rivalry develops from here.