Damian Lillard

Free Agency Notes: Turner, Lillard, Kuminga, Clarkson, Beasley

According to Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required), the Pacers offered up to $95MM over four years for Myles Turner before he agreed to sign with the Bucks. Earlier reporting suggested Indiana didn’t go above roughly $60MM over three years.

Doyel shares that tidbit within a column defending the Pacers and castigating Turner’s camp for referring to Indiana’s “aversion to the tax” in leaks to ESPN, portraying the four-year, $95MM bid as a strong offer. Given the slant of the piece, it’s worth taking the report with a grain of salt.

Even if the Pacers did get up to $95MM, that offer would have come in quite a bit below the $107MM deal Turner is getting in Milwaukee and would also fall well short of the going rate for quality starting centers in recent years — Jarrett Allen and Jakob Poeltl have gotten $30MM and $28MM annually on their most recent extensions, for example. Even Naz Reid, who has been a reserve in recent years, received $25MM per year over the weekend.

Here are a few more notes and rumors related to free agency:

  • During a TV appearance on ESPN (Twitter video link), Marc J. Spears of Andscape says star point guard Damian Lillard intends to rehab his Achilles tear in Portland to be close to his family, whether or not he signs with a team in the near future. Spears also says that at least 10 clubs – including the Warriors (Twitter link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN) – have touched base with Lillard since word of his release broke, and adds that there’s “speculation” the 34-year-old could be back around the All-Star break. Given that Lillard just sustained the injury in late April, that timeline feels a little aggressive to me, but it sounds like he might aim to make it back before the end of the 2025/26 season.
  • There’s very little money available on the open market for this summer’s top restricted free agents, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst stated during a TV appearance (Twitter video link). Windhorst went on to say that it might be in the Warriors‘ and Jonathan Kuminga‘s best interests to work out a deal and possibly revisit the trade market down the road. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter video link) says he hasn’t heard “any traction” about a sign-and-trade deal to the Bulls, who have been rumored as a potential suitor for Kuminga.
  • As first reported by Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link), veteran guard Jordan Clarkson gave up the exact amount of his minimum salary (roughly $3.6MM) when he agreed to a buyout with the Jazz, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. That will reduce his cap hit on Utah’s books from about $14.3MM to roughly $10.7MM, and he’ll make up the difference when he signs his new contract with the Knicks.
  • In another troubling report on free agent sharpshooter Malik Beasley, who is under federal investigation for gambling allegations, Robert Snell of The Detroit News takes a deep dive into court records that paint a picture of Beasley’s financial issues in recent years. According to Snell, Beasley owed debts to his landlord, barber, and dentist, and pledged his current and future NBA contracts as collateral last August when he signed a deal with a Florida firm for a bridge loan.

Agent: Being Waived Is ‘Incredible Opportunity’ For Lillard

The Bucks‘ surprising decision to waive Damian Lillard with two guaranteed years left on his contract is being met with significant enthusiasm by at least one involved party: Lillard himself.

League sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic that Lillard, who will spend the 2025/26 season recovering from an Achilles tear, is “elated” with the move, since it will give him the opportunity to join a team of his choosing while still being paid the $112MM+ he was owed by the Bucks.

Amick refers to it as a “dream scenario” for the star point guard, who struggled at times with the on-court fit in Milwaukee and found it challenging to be away from his children after spending the first 11 years of his playing career in Portland.

As Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian relays (via Twitter), Lillard’s agent Aaron Goodwin put out a statement essentially confirming Amick’s report.

“It’s an incredible opportunity for Damian,” Goodwin said. “He receives all of his money guaranteed, and it provides him an opportunity to decide his next destination as an unrestricted free agent. He gets a chance to rehab at home if he chooses to, and be with his family and his kids for the next year. The goal is for him to take his time and make a decision on what his next destination will be.”

As we relayed earlier, Lillard is expected to take some time to decide whether he wants to sit out this season or sign a multiyear contract and spend the season rehabbing with a team.

According to Amick, the 34-year-old has already received calls from contending teams since word broke that he was being waived by Milwaukee.

Giannis ‘Not Pleased’ With Bucks’ Decision To Waive Lillard?

Superstar Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is “not pleased” with the team’s decision to waive Damian Lillard, league sources tell NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).

In a shocking pair of moves, the Bucks will waive Lillard and stretch the $112MM+ remaining on his contract after the star point guard suffered an Achilles tear in April, and will sign standout free agent center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107MM deal using the newly created cap room.

The Bucks’ aggressive approach to the offseason was certainly fueled by a desire to stay in contention in the short term and take advantage of Antetokounmpo’s prime years, with Lillard likely to miss most or all of 2025/26. So if Giannis isn’t happy about any of their moves, that’s problematic.

Still, it’s worth noting that ESPN’s Shams Charania has indicated Antetokounmpo was on board with the acquisition of Turner. Within his story on the Bucks’ moves, Charania writes that Antetokounmpo and Turner “both valued the opportunity to partner on the court.”

During an appearance on NBA TV (Twitter video link), Haynes suggested that Antetokounmpo may simply be reacting to the coldness of waiving Lillard – an accomplished and respected veteran star – shortly after he suffered such a major injury.

“He just didn’t like how it was handled,” Haynes said.

For what it’s worth, Lillard might view the situation as a win-win, Marc J. Spears of Andscape tweets, since adjusting to Milwaukee away from his family after spending the first 11 years of his NBA career in Portland had been a challenge for him. Now, he’ll still be paid in full by the Bucks while getting to become an unrestricted free agent, which will give him the ability to pick his own situation.

Lillard is expected to take some time to decide whether he wants to sit out this season or sign a multiyear contract and spend the season rehabbing with a team, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The Heat are among the teams expected to have interest, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link), though Jackson says the Oakland native will be “open to considering everything presented.”

As for Antetokounmpo, we’ll see whether he comes around on viewing the Lillard release as a necessary evil to land a player like Turner or whether the situation escalates from here. During his NBA TV spot, Haynes referred to it as “one more thing added to the equation” for Giannis as he considers whether he wants his future to be in Milwaukee or elsewhere.

Bucks To Waive Damian Lillard, Stretch Remaining Salary

The Bucks are waiving injured point guard Damian Lillard and stretching the $112.6MM owed to him over the next two years across five seasons, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

The move will help create the cap room necessary in order for the Bucks to complete their four-year, $107MM deal with free agent center Myles Turner.

It’s a shocking development, but Milwaukee was expected to aggressive this offseason in its efforts to upgrade the roster and convince superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo that he can still contend for a championship with the Bucks. And Lillard, who sustained a torn Achilles during the first round of the playoffs this spring, wasn’t going to be able to contribute to a title chase in 2025/26, as he’ll almost certainly miss most or all of the season.

As we explain in our glossary entry, the stretch provision allows teams to spread out a player’s remaining guaranteed salary across twice the remaining years left on his contract, plus one. That means the Bucks will now carry cap hits of $22,516,603 for the next five seasons for Lillard, instead of paying him $54,126,450 in 2025/26 and $58,456,566 in ’26/27.

The move creates more than $30MM in extra spending flexibility for Milwaukee this season.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), teams aren’t permitted to waive and stretch a player if the move would result in waived-and-stretched salary taking up more than 15% of a season’s cap. But 15% of this season’s cap works out to about $23.2MM, so Lillard’s figure sneaks in below that threshold.

This is the largest waive-and-stretch in NBA history, Marks adds (via Twitter).

A team that waives a player and stretches his salary isn’t permitted to sign him until after the original end date of his contract, so the Bucks wouldn’t be able to bring back Lillard this season or next season once he’s healthy.

Lillard, who will turn 35 this month, averaged 24.9 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game in 58 starts for the Bucks this season, posting a shooting line of .448/.376/.921. He missed time near the end of the season after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his calf. Although the star guard was able to return during the playoffs, he suited up in just three games before tearing his Achilles.

Bucks Rumors: Giannis, Tax, Lopez, Portis, Point Guards

After stating during multiple television appearances this week that a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade appears unlikely to happen in the short term, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reiterated that point on Friday in a an ESPN.com story co-authored by Tim Bontemps.

At the moment, Windhorst and Bontemps say, the expectation around the NBA is that Antetokounmpo will still be in Milwaukee by the time the 2025/26 season tips off.

However, the ESPN duo stresses that’s just where things stand as of today. It doesn’t necessarily mean the situation won’t change at some point this offseason, since there’s no indication Antetokounmpo has definitively told the Bucks that he’s staying. It remains possible he could request a change of scenery later in the summer if he decides he’s not thrilled with the team’s direction.

For now though, the Bucks aren’t listening to trade inquiries on Antetokounmpo and aren’t expected to make any deal involving the two-time MVP in the short term.

Here’s more on the Bucks from Windhorst and Bontemps:

  • In meetings since the Bucks’ season ended, general manager Jon Horst and head coach Doc Rivers have presented plans to keep the core of the roster intact around Antetokounmpo, per ESPN. Milwaukee went 10-4 without Damian Lillard in March and April and is optimistic about its ability to contend for a top-six playoff spot until he’s ready to return, which the club hopes will happen before the end of the 2025/26 season, as Windhorst and Bontemps explain.
  • Personnel around the NBA are curious about the Bucks’ appetite to be a taxpayer in ’25/26 after paying substantial penalties in recent years, according to Windhorst and Bontemps, who hear from sources that the team is indeed prepared to operate above the tax line again. It would be difficult for the Bucks to retain free agent big men Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis without surpassing that threshold, ESPN’s duo notes.
  • While Milwaukee may be a taxpayer again next season, rival teams think the Bucks will look to operate below the first tax apron, giving them access to at least part of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. The team may need that MLE to sign a free agent point guard to step in for Lillard. According to Windhorst and Bontemps, Dennis Schröder, Tyus Jones, and Malcolm Brogdon are a few names to watch.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Will Reportedly Consider Leaving Bucks

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has become open-minded about considering opportunities outside of Milwaukee for the first time in his career, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN.

Teams have routinely called to check on Antetokounmpo’s potential availability in recent years, and that process is expected to intensify as they gather in Chicago this week for the draft combine, Charania adds.

Antetokounmpo’s representatives, Giorgios Panou and Alex Saratsis, will meet with Bucks officials at some point to discuss the team’s future and determine whether Milwaukee is still the best fit for their client, according to Charania’s sources. The Bucks are reportedly resistant toward the idea of trading Antetokounmpo, who is still under contract through the 2026/27 season and holds a $62.8MM player option for the following year, and are unlikely to pursue a deal unless he requests it.

Speculation about a possible Antetokounmpo trade has been rampant since the Bucks were eliminated by the Pacers last month, marking the third straight year they have been ousted in the first round. Antetokounmpo has been open about his desire to add another championship to the one he captured in 2021, and there are doubts regarding whether he still has any hope of achieving that in Milwaukee.

The situation became more dire with the torn left Achilles that Damian Lillard suffered in Game 4 of the Indiana series. Lillard underwent surgery last week and faces a lengthy rehab process that could force him to miss all of next season. That would leave the Bucks without a second star to team with Antetokounmpo and little chance to acquire one as Lillard remains on the books for $54.1MM next season with a $58.5MM player option for 2026/27.

Charania notes that Antetokounmpo, a finalist for MVP honors, just completed one of the best seasons of his career, averaging 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 67 games while shooting 60.1% from the field. He raised those numbers in the playoffs, posting 33 points, 15.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists per night in the five-game loss.

Antetokounmpo has established himself as one of the greatest players in Bucks history since being selected with the 15th pick in the 2013 draft. He’s a two-time MVP and a nine-time All-Star, and he delivered the team’s first NBA title in 50 years.

According to Charania, Milwaukee’s .663 winning percentage since 2018/19 is the best in the league. However, the Bucks only have one playoff series victory since their 2021 championship season.

If Antetokounmpo goes on the market, teams that can offer young talent and a stockpile of draft assets are considered to be the most likely destinations. The Rockets, Spurs, Thunder and Nets have already been mentioned prominently in trade speculation, but Milwaukee’s front office would likely hear offers from all 29 rival teams.

Charania notes that the Bucks have an opportunity to remake their roster this summer, with Kyle Kuzma, A.J. Green, Andre JacksonChris Livingston and Tyler Smith joining Antetokounmpo and Lillard as the only players currently under contract. Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton and Kevin Porter Jr. hold player options for next season, and they could decide to join Brook Lopez, Taurean Prince and Gary Trent Jr. as free agents.

However, the Bucks are already facing cap concerns as Antetokounmpo, Lillard and Kuzma will earn roughly $130MM of the $164MM they already have committed for 2025/26. General manager Jon Horst has limited draft assets to offer in any trade, with the franchise not controlling any of its first-round picks until 2031.

Charania notes that the Bucks were able to escape the second apron with the Kuzma trade in February, but they still have limited breathing room heading into the summer. They’re currently about $23MM below the luxury tax and $41MM away from a return to the second apron for next season.

Charania points out that even a modest offseason that includes re-signing Lopez, using the $14.1MM non-taxpayer midlevel exception and filling out the roster with minimum-salary signees would put Milwaukee into tax territory for the sixth straight year.

And-Ones: Wright, Rookie Extensions, All-Interview Team, More

Former Colorado guard McKinley Wright IV, who appeared in 32 NBA regular season games for Minnesota and Dallas from 2021-23, has been named the Most Valuable Player for the ABA League (formerly known as the Adriatic League) in Europe.

Wright has spent the last two seasons playing for KK Buducnost and led the Montenegrin team to a 26-4 record and a No. 1 seed in ABA competition this season. The 26-year-old, known as a solid perimeter defender, averaged team bests of 12.8 points and 4.9 assists in 22.5 minutes per game, with an excellent shooting line of .545/.370/.848.

Wright now has the honor of sharing a career accomplishment with future Hall of Famer Nikola Jokic, who was named the MVP of the ABA League in 2014/15, his age-20 season, when he played for Mega Basket in Serbia.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Bucks’ Lillard Undergoes Surgery To Repair Torn Achilles

Bucks star Damian Lillard underwent successful surgery on Friday to repair his torn left Achilles tendon, the team announced (via Twitter).

According to the Bucks, the procedure was performed in Los Angeles by renowned surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache, with consultation from Bucks orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Carole Vetter.

The news had been expected since word broke earlier this week that Lillard had been diagnosed with a left Achilles tear. He’ll now begin a lengthy recovery and rehab process. While the Bucks didn’t provide a timeline for Lillard’s projected return, there’s a chance the recovery will sideline him for the entire 2025/26 season, given how late in this season the injury occurred.

Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson are among the other stars in their 30s who have undergone surgery to repair Achilles tears in recent years. Durant underwent surgery in June 2019 and returned in December 2020 (at the start of the delayed 2020/21 season). Thompson’s recovery period spanned from November 2020 to January 2022.

It’s not uncommon even for a younger player to require a full calendar year to make it back from a torn Achilles. Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, for instance, sustained the injury on March 3, 2023 and returned to the court on March 27, 2024.

Despite the long road ahead for Lillard, who will turn 35 this July, he made it clear to Doc Rivers that he’s “not going out this way” and fully intends to eventually get back to full strength, as the Bucks head coach told reporters this week. The veteran point guard is owed a projected $54.1MM next season and holds a player option for 2026/27 expected to be worth $58.5MM.

Bucks Notes: Giannis, Lillard, Horst, Offseason

Following the Bucks‘ third consecutive first-round playoff exit and a torn Achilles diagnosis for star point guard Damian Lillard, superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo finds himself under the spotlight. Speculation about whether he wants to stick with the Bucks or compete for a championship elsewhere figures to dominate the news cycle in Milwaukee until he makes a decision one way or the other.

John Hollinger of The Athletic is among the pundits to make the case that trading Antetokounmpo this offseason is the best path forward for the Bucks. While he acknowledges it’s not an easy decision, given what Giannis means to the franchise and the fact that the Bucks don’t control their own draft picks for the next several years, Hollinger believes the organization isn’t in position to maximize the remaining years of the two-time MVP’s prime.

Eric Koreen of The Athletic, conversely, contends that a player’s championship rings have become disproportionately weighed when evaluating a player’s legacy and argues that “time spent together” should be valued more highly than it is. Lillard’s own move from Portland to Milwaukee shows that a trade to a would-be contender offers no guarantees, Koreen points out, adding that Dirk Nowitzki‘s career spent in Dallas feels “right” in retrospect even though he only won a single title with the Mavericks.

For his part, Antetokounmpo wasn’t ready to discuss his future after the Bucks lost Game 5 in Indiana on Tuesday, ending their season.

“I’m not going to do this,” Giannis said when asked if he believes he can win another title in Milwaukee, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “I’m not going to do that. I know how it’s going to translate. I don’t know, man. I wish I was still playing. I wish I was still competing and going back and working out.”

As we relayed on Wednesday, Antetokounmpo is expected to meet soon with Bucks management to discuss his and the team’s future.

Here’s more on the Bucks:

  • Antetokounmpo’s season ended in unusual fashion on Tuesday, as he found himself face-to-face with John Haliburton, the father of Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, on the court seconds after Indiana closed out a 119-118 win. As Collier writes for ESPN.com, Antetokounmpo engaged in a heated confrontation with the elder Haliburton, who later apologized for coming onto the floor and shouting at the Bucks forward, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “His dad coming on the floor and showing me his son — a towel with his face on [it], [saying] ‘This is what we do. We do this,'” Antetokounmpo told reporters after the game. “I feel like that’s very, very disrespectful.” Giannis later said that he talked to John Haliburton after the incident and that “we’re in a good place.”
  • If Lillard had finished the season healthy, he and the Bucks would likely have had a conversation about his future in Milwaukee, according to Eric Nehm and Sam Amick of The Athletic, who say there’s a chance the two sides would’ve decided they might be better off parting ways. That scenario could’ve given Milwaukee a path to revamping its roster around Antetokounmpo while sending Lillard to a contender that may be a better fit, Nehm and Amick note, but it’s off the table now that the point guard will spend the year recovering from an Achilles tear.
  • Some rival executives were surprised that the Bucks extended general manager Jon Horst in April, but he was in consideration as a potential front office target for both the Suns and Pelicans before Milwaukee did that deal, league sources tell Nehm and Amick.
  • Within his preview of the Bucks’ offseason, ESPN’s Bobby Marks says adding depth and shooting should be a priority this offseason for the Bucks, who will also need to add more help in the frontcourt if they lose either Brook Lopez or Bobby Portis in free agency.

Bucks Notes: Giannis, Rivers, LaVine, Horst

Now that the Bucks‘ season is over, Giannis Antetokounmpo will meet with management to discuss plans for his future and the team’s, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN, citing sources who spoke with the network’s Shams Charania. It’s a meeting that takes place every year, but the upcoming version will be anything but routine. As Collier notes, if Antetokounmpo decides he needs to leave Milwaukee to be part of a title contender, it will have enormous ramifications for the franchise and the league.

It’s easy to see how he could reach that conclusion after Damian Lillard suffered a torn left Achilles in Game 4 of their playoff series. The recovery process usually takes a year or more, so Lillard is unlikely to play next season, but his $54.1MM salary will remain on the team’s books, along with a $58.5MM player option for 2026/27. That and a shortage of draft capital will limit the Bucks’ ability to improve the roster this summer.

Antetokounmpo, who won a title with Milwaukee in 2021, is determined to capture at least one more before he retires. Collier notes that he discussed that topic earlier this month on a podcast hosted by his brother, Thanasis.

“Me not having a second championship — I look back at my career and everybody can say, ‘Oh, incredible career, active Hall of Famer, first ballot, whatever, but me, my personal goal, if I am not able to help my team win a second ring, I’m letting down myself,” Giannis said.

After Tuesday’s Game 5 loss, in which the Bucks squandered late leads in regulation and overtime, Antetokounmpo took on much of the blame, saying he needs to play better. But he was easily the best player in the series, averaging 33.8 points, 14.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists on 62% shooting, as he was healthy for the playoffs for the first time in three years.

Collier points out that Antetokounmpo has shown loyalty to Milwaukee whenever he’s had a chance to leave, signing a super-max extension in 2020 and another deal in 2023 that runs through the 2027/28 season. However, the team enters this offseason in a much different position, and Antetokounmpo may determine that his best chance to win is to go elsewhere.

There’s more from Milwaukee:

  • Antetokounmpo expressed support for coach Doc Rivers after Tuesday’s loss, Collier adds. Rivers has compiled a 65-53 record since taking over in the middle of last season, but he has two first-round playoff ousters. Rivers said he believes in the talent the Bucks have on hand and wishes the season could have played out differently. “I would love this team full,” Rivers said. “I really do. I would love this team where Dame was healthy and all that, but that wasn’t in the cards this year. What was in the cards was we found a lot of players through the year because of all the adversity that we had. A.J. Green came out of nowhere, and he’s a sensational player. Gary Trent Jr. has proven that he’s not only just a solid NBA player, but better than that. Bobby (Portis) playing heavy minutes at the five. Jericho (Sims) — another guy that we picked up and he turned out to be a force. (Kevin Porter Jr.) is going to be solid for us. He’s proven that he’s an NBA player, and (Kyle Kuzma), who didn’t have a great series, will help us. We never got him into the position where he could have been more successful. We will do that and he will be a successful player for us moving forward.”
  • The Bucks don’t control any of their first-round picks until 2031, and sources told Collier that they were unwilling to discuss that selection at the trade deadline. Collier hears that the team inquired about several high-profile players, including Zach LaVine while he was still in Chicago, but the reluctance to include the draft pick in any deal limited the front office’s options.
  • The franchise was determined to keep general manager Jon Horst after preventing him from meeting with the Pistons last offseason to discuss a position in their front office, sources tell Collier. Horst received a multiyear extension last week.