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The Milwaukee Bucks made a flurry of moves on the second day of free agency, but none was bigger than the news of them waiving Damian Lillard. The point guard was most likely not going to play most of next season as he recovers from a torn Achilles he suffered during the playoffs, and now he has a chance to focus on rehab and pick a team of his choosing when he returns.
As the news broke, there were conflicting reports on whether Lillard knew that the Bucks were going to waive him, with NBA insider Chris Haynes saying that he didn't know.
“He was surprised,” Haynes said on NBA TV. “The Bucks did recently go out there to Portland to meet with Dame, but they did not tell Dame that this was coming. He had no clue about that as well. I was told that Dame found out about his situation just like everybody else found out.”
"He was surprised. … [The Bucks] did not tell Dame that this was coming… I was told that Dame found out about his situation just like everybody else found out."
Chris Haynes on Damian Lillard being waived by Milwaukee 😬pic.twitter.com/qi4cxarJEy
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 1, 2025
ESPN's Brian Windhorst then came on and said that the Bucks had spoken to Lillard about this beforehand.
“I don't think he would have minded a change in scenery had he not gotten injured. … From what I understand, they approached him yesterday about this, so this was a recent development,” Windhorst said on First Take.
"I don't think he would have minded a change in scenery had he not gotten injured. … From what I understand, they approached him yesterday about this, so this was a recent development."
Brian Windhorst on Damian Lillard being waived by the Bucks 🗣pic.twitter.com/10V08bogJW
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 1, 2025
Haynes and Windhorst are both credible, and it's uncertain to know if Lillard was blindsided by the news or if he saw it coming.
Bucks waive Damian Lillard in surprising move
Along with waiving Lillard, they stretched the remaining $113 million on his contract, which means he will still be on their books even though he's not on the team. After the report came out about Lillard being waived, Haynes wrote that Giannis Antetokounmpo was not pleased with them making the move. If that's the case, they must not have told Antetokounmpo about it, which would be surprising if they don't want him to request a trade.
Before waiving Lillard, the Bucks signed Myles Turner as they lost Brook Lopez to the Los Angeles Clippers. Turner leaving the Indiana Pacers was surprising, but he should have a nice role with the Bucks, especially if Antetokounmpo decides to stay with the team.
Antetokounmpo's decision will be the next thing everyone will be looking at, and he will have to decide if these moves that they're making are enough to keep them competitive in the Eastern Conference. There's definitely a lot more work to be done, but they're showing the commitment in trying to keep him.
