April 28: Lillard has been diagnosed with a left Achilles tear, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who says (via Twitter) that an MRI confirmed the severity of the injury.
As noted below, in addition to ending Lillard’s playoff run this season, the torn Achilles also figures to compromise his availability for the ’25/26 campaign. It’s not uncommon for a player who tears an Achilles to require a full calendar year to recover and return to the court.
April 27: Bucks star guard Damian Lillard is feared to have suffered a left Achilles tear, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweets.
Lillard’s injury occurred during Game 4 of his team’s first-round series on Sunday night. He went down on the non-contact play after tapping an offensive rebound from the top of the key to a teammate. He needed to be helped off the floor and couldn’t put weight on his left leg.
It’s a heartbreaking development for the Bucks and the nine-time All-Star. Lillard, 34, returned to action in Game 2 of the series after recovering from a blood clot in his right calf, which sidelined him for more than a month. He was cleared of deep vein thrombosis, which required blood thinning medication, 10 days ago.
Lillard averaged 24.9 points, 7.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals on .448/.376/.921 shooting in 36.1 minutes per contest during the regular season. He would have been a strong candidate to make an All-NBA team for the eighth time, but did not qualify due to the 65-game rule — he appeared in 58 games this season.
Lillard struggled with his shooting in Games 2 and 3, making just 24 percent of his attempts while averaging 10.5 points in 34.5 minutes.
If Lillard has indeed suffered a tear, it would likely jeopardize his 2025/26 season and put the Bucks in a difficult financial bind. He’s due to make an estimated $54,126,380 next season and holds an option projected at $58,456,490 for the 2026/27 season.
In the short run, the Bucks will have to rely heavily on Kevin Porter Jr. to run their offense for the remainder of the series.
The grass isn’t always greener
Trading Jrue and Middleton. Bye Giannis. Management has been horrible just like the Spurs. Hopefully they can find another Giannis in the draft again
Wait but why did they fire Adrian Griffin? Sure didnt seem like a management decision and I dont think it was Brook Lopez or Pat Connaugthon. Or who pushed them to make agressive trades? Maybe it was Bobby Portis dammit!
They should never of fired Bud
Jrue has fallen off big time since 2021, he’s great on Boston because he only needs to plat 18-22 minutes there. That said, he has missed a lot of games over the past two years also. Khris is done. He was shut down in Washington. Those deals didn’t not sink the franchise frivolous signings of Khris, Lopez and Pat did.
Overpaying role players and a lack of draft capital is what’s killing the franchise.
The jrue trade that brought him to Milwaukee cost draft picks bringing in Dame cost draft picks. The Bucks don’t value draft picks anymore because the franchise didn’t have the luxury of waiting for draft picks to develop next to Giannis after Jabari Parker’s career went off the rails. They will have to return to years of development stages to right the ship. No one can really honestly say that they didn’t see that day coming. You can’t piss away draft capital for 7+ years and stay consistent.
Brutal news. I hope he’s able to come back season after next at full strength!
Bucks are done then.
Without dame, Kuzma has been buns, Lopez is lucky to get 15/20 minutes a night, the SG spot is just a revolving door. Giannis can’t do it all on his own.
Wouldn’t be surprised to see him ask for a trade after getting bounced in the first round
Seriously what happened to Kyle Kuzma? He was doing so well in Washington as a primetime scorer?
Nobody’s guarding Washington… they’re not gonna beat you. No team gives their best efforts playing against the Wizards… it’s a “let’s get this game over with in the 1st half” game when you play them.
Someone had to score in DC, doesn’t mean he wasn’t a good player, just the best layer on an awful team.
I mean doesn’t mean he was a good player
Wow…just wow
…what
Should’ve stuck with Holiday
You do know Holiday and Lillard have played the exact same number of games this postseason?
That has nothing to do with what he said
You do know that one gets paid far less than the other…?
Mil would have still been 2nd apron with Jrue…so that still isn’t supporting the statement. Lillard sells more jerseys and merchandise so that get more money back in another department.
The Bucks did stick with Holliday.., for two more years after the championship.
They felt the need for another number one guy. Holiday is more of a supporting cast guy.
Don’t get me wrong. I think the Celtics have the best back court in the NBA with white and holiday. And Jrue Holiday is a championship player that any team would want. I love both players and what they do on the floor.
But Milwaukee saw they could only get so far with that roster. They gambled because Lillard was a true number one and true superstar.
Jrue Holiday makes your team better and your defense better, but Damian Lillard can win a game for you single-handedly. I guess they felt it was worth the gamble considering Giannis timeframe.
I mean, the real reason they decided to trade for Lillard was less about Lillard himself and more about Giannis starting to get restless in interviews and making it clear he wanted the Bucks to trade for a big name. The fit itself was never great with Dame, especially with the roster they came out of that trade with.
Trading Jrue was fine, but trading for Lillard specifically was always a somewhat understandable panic move that many never expected to go as well as that pairing would suggest.
Yeah, I think this might signal the end of the Giannis era in Milwaukee.
I can only imagine which team will try to trade for him that has a boatload of picks … OKC, HOU and SA? G’lord … would def tilt the league a bit.
Its one of those where he has done so much for the Bucks that they would probably have to steer him to a preferred destination. It will still be huge, but they wont want bad blood with the best player in the last like 50 years for the franchise when things are on good terms.
They just have no hope to make things work around him without doing a major reset. No way to cap room with him and Dame where you could sign enough to build a good roster and almost no assets left.
Terrible news, might end Dame’s career, he will be out til he’s 36.
Giannis to the Warriors becomes more feasible by the day…
Giannis isn’t gonna be KD 2.0. He saw how that ruined KD’s legacy by copping out to go to the Dubs. He’s always said he’ll stay in Milwaukee. Besides, Dubs don’t have any assets
He’s not going to the Warriors but this Dame injury has now given him a legitimate reason to leave.
I think GSW would be pretty high on Giannis list of teams he would like to play for. I think he has always wanted to team up with Curry, and the Warriors have all but spots 20-30 on the 30 first round pick available to trade.
You trade Butler to a 3rd team for assets after having rehabbed his value closing out the year and in the playoffs then you can flip what you get for Butler plus picks for Giannis. Probably send Kuminga to MIL as a young player to develop with like 3 GSW firsts and 2 from the team who gets Butler.
Steph, Podz, Draymond, Giannis, Post as the freakshow lineup…
KD ruined his legacy by leaving GSW, not OKC. You dont know ball.
Yeah leaving GS has been nothing but misfortune for Kevin
Safe to say that everyone wishes you a complete and speedy recovery Damian!
“feared to have suffered an left Achilles tear…”
Please fix that. It hurts almost as bad as the injury.
Yeah you know these editors don’t actually proofread their articles. It’s lazy but I’m used to it by now.
You do know that the rumors are free and that the important thing with rumors is to get them posted quickly. Maybe just care a little less about the editing?
Dame’s injury is only a rumor???? Who knew.
So what was the hurry, again about getting the post up fast???
“So what was the hurry, again about getting the post up fast???”
You really don’t know?
That’s funny,
Top 75 yeah right
most overrated player in league history!
One of them for sure. Offense only players are not good basketball players. When you take half the game off you should be able to score. Lillard has always been a losing player.
It’s over. He’ll probably still be able to get you 15 a night but he will shoot less than 40% and he’s going to be too much of a liability on defense.
He’s always been a liability on defense, because he doesn’t play defense!
Nobody plays defence though
Doc’s post season press statement is already in hand…
He’s one of the worst coaches in the NBA, he has a stack of statements he’s got ready to go for his inevitable failures. Always some else’s fault.
Always
Don’t worry I’m sure Kuzma is ready to pick up the slack…lol
I hate that he left Portland. I honestly don’t even notice him being in Milwaukee other than it’s not exactly working out.
If this is true, he’s done. I mean John Wall was like 28? At 34 he’s not returning to Dame Time form. A year injury at least.
Damn shame.
I think you’re right but you can’t compare him to John Wall..
Two totally different players.
Damian Lillard does not rely on quickness speed and raw athleticism as Wall did. Plus John was not a pure shooter like Lillard.
Damian Lillard is not fast, but is skilled and can score the basketball from anywhere. Yes this injury could finish his career but it’s not because he’s similar to John Wall.
It’s because he’ll be 36. If Wall had Damian Lillard skills or if Damian Lillard tore his Achilles at 28 the future prognosis would have been different for both.
You aren’t getting that separation anymore, shooting won’t help, unless he’s going to be Wes Matthew’s now.
Yup exactly.
Do teams have insurance for this kind of situation? (And yes, Kuzma and Lopez have been worthless during this series.)
Wouldn’t matter if they did. Nothing is removing him from the salary cap. Whether he plays or not.
Time for Bucks to review the “stretch provision.”
I’m a Pacers fan and watched the game. But even I feel bad for Lillard and his string of injuries since coming to the Bucks. His years as a game-changing playmaker in Portland were no fluke and Milwaukee saw an opportunity to shove all of their chips to the middle of the table to bring him in to help Giannis deliver a championship.
Without Dame Dolla’s inside-out game and ball distribution, the Bucks are toast. Giannis can’t go a full 48 minutes. While Porter is a decent player in his own right, he is no Dame. Lopez and Kuzma have disappeared. Portis is so hell-bent on trying to be an intimidator that he has lost his focus at both ends of the floor. Green remains streaky.
The inability for Milwaukee to mount any sort of sustained defensive effort to contain Indiana’s transition game and keep them out of the block is killing them. The Bucks are simply too slow in reacting, giving the Pacers a lot of easy looks and a boatload of assists reflective of their ability to get everyone involved.
maybe this will keep his mouth shut for the next 12 months. Did alotta chirping this series. Not alotta playing, not alotta scoring, but a whole lotta talkin smack. Now he can focus more on his shooting skills & less on shooting his mouth off….
You’re incredibly stupid and childish.
One would hope you’re just trolling, but no, you’re just dumb.
Why dont you keep your mouth shut, show some class and be better, instead? Dame’s career is likely over. No one deserves an injury. You are mouthing off worse than he ever did, right now!
Very brave to talk trash now that his injury is confirmed. Go ahead and say that to Dames face. I’ll wait…
The silence is deafening…
Klay: injured achilles after coming back too fast from a serious knee injury
KD: injured achilles after coming back too fast from a serious calf injury
Dame: injured achilles after coming back too fast from a blot clot injury in his lower leg
hmmm I wonder what the consistent factor is in all of these achilles injuries??
I think this leads to Giannis finally going to Miami (something he insinuated since 2019ish) …. Tyler Herro, Ke’lel Ware, and draft picks.
Players don’t always dictate where they go when they force a trade but I think Giannis is on that level of player who gets to go where he wants. 2019 Miami has a lot different reputation than 2025 Miami. I don’t think he’d want to go there after the way Riley treated Butler.
Riley treated Butler like an adult. Butler acted like a child. I don’t know about the supplements he is making players take and all that stuff but Jimmy has nothing to do with it.
every player in the NBA wants to go to Miami… wtf are you talking about lol.. Giannis specifically SAID Miami once in a press conference and it’s been reported for 5-6 years he wanted to go there.
Dame has two yrs on his contract. Will miss a tear now. I guess all eyes will be on Giannis now .
Sucks to go out like this. Bucks are cursed.
Get well Dame you can ride with us for a chip. When you get right. We will be there then ……
Wishing for a speedy recovery for Dame.
With that being said, this narrative that Giannis is a victim of poor management is really trash. Giannis demanded the Bucks to be aggressive and make roster moves and he was also most likely involved in the firing of a good coach in Adrian Griffin that was replaced by one of the worst coaches in basketball.
The Bucks did everything to appease Giannis, as he asked for, he is the last person that can complain…
Agree 100%. If he didn’t pressure the front office, maybe they would’ve made better decisions. Obviously it was going to be a tall order remaining competitive while phasing out an aging core, but the trade for Lillard specifically was definitively a panic/appeasement move.
The Middleton trade was a F, what do you mean?
Let the Giannis sweepstakes begin. Hopefully they get more than the mavs did for Luka.
Hey, my nickname is starting to stick !! Love the username !!
Middleton is still better than Kuzma right now
So, to stoke the fires of speculation regarding Giannis forcing a trade in the offseason — where are the most likely destinations? Bear in mind that (barring a renegotiation of his contract), he stands to make $57,604,894 next season, $62,213,285 in ’26-27, and $66,821,676 in ’27-28. The salary cap is expected to be $154.6 million next season, somewhere between $170.6 – 187.7 million in ’26’27 and not yet known beyond that.
Miami? Though specifically mentioned by Giannis, the Heat roster is rapidly regressing and lacks the surrounding talent to mount another playoff run in the near term. Plus, they are right up against the cap currently. Any form of deal that would bring the Greek Freak to South Beach would likely strip the Heat of Adebayo and Wiggins, plus picks. Herro is too much like the existing combo of Green and Porter (assuming the Bucks keep both).
Clippers? Aside from Kawhi Leonard’s outside contract (~$50 million for each of the next two years), there are no large contracts and lots of salary flexibility. Plus a large media market with lots of endorsement potential and an enthusiastic and supportive owner with very deep pockets.
Philadelphia? Would the 76ers consider flipping Joel Embiid and picks for Giannis? Would the Bucks take a gamble on Embiid’s health? The salaries are very close straight up, but Embiid would be under contract for an additional year, so this swap would offer no salary relief for smaller-market Milwaukee. It would give Giannis access to a bigger media market, but a team with lots of expiring contracts and not in a position to contend right away.
Houston? The Rockets are a team on the rise in a larger media market and an emerging contender with a young roster. With Lilliard likely unavailable next season, would the Bucks look to make a deal to bring in Fred Van Vleet and Jabari Smith in return for Giannis?
Lot os other possibilities as well, but given Antetpkoumpo’s contract, few teams would be both a contender and in a position to take on his contract without a significant subtraction to their existing roster.
Why did you leave out the Warriors? Jimmy fits the bill, plus they have more trade pieces than anyone. Moody’s new contract starts at the end of the year, that’s 3/39 and he’s looking to be value at that salary with what he’s done so far. Kuminga can be extended then traded, right?
Is there a trade partner out there?
Sixers moving off PG? I think they only have 1 FRP they can trade?
Who else would take on Dame for 2 years or waive and stretch him for a single FRP?