The Damian Lillard Situation Was Crazier Than We Thought

The Damian Lillard Situation Was Crazier Than We Thought

I mean, we’ve never, and I mean never, seen anything quite like this before. The Milwaukee Bucks waved and then stretched Damen Lillard’s contract in order to sign Miles Turner. Yeah, they just waved an allstar. Now, we do see buyouts all of the time throughout NBA offseasons as teams shuffle the roster, clear the cap, and make room for new pieces. But this this was something entirely different. Lillard, a guy who just made the All-Star team last season, who averaged 25 points and 7.1 assists per game, was just waved for absolutely nothing in return. Actually, scratch that. Milwaukee didn’t just get nothing in return. They ended up in the red. When you wave a player, the money that they’re owed doesn’t just disappear. You still have to pay that contract. So to manage the blow, Milwaukee stretched Dame’s deal across five seasons. That lowers the per year hit, but they’re still paying him roughly 22.5 million annually through 2030 just for him not to play for them at all. That’s a massive financial burden. They’re essentially locking themselves into paying a starter level player money every year who’s never going to suit up for a single game. It’s a rough and almost impossible situation. But as a Bucks fan, I do want to unpack this situation properly because I’m seeing a lot of outrage and confusion online without anybody really diving into the actual reason why all of this occurred. And the first thing we need to talk about is why all of this happened in the first place. In my opinion, none of this goes down if Dame does not tear his Achilles in round one of the playoffs last season. That single injury, as brutal as it is, completely shifted the direction of the franchise. Think about the alternative. Let’s say the Bucks don’t wave Dame and instead choose to keep him. They would then be paying a guy $54 million who’s not going to suit up for a single game. That is a full year of Giannis’ prime just completely wasted. That is a far worse outcome than what’s actually happened and it’s definitely something no one has been acknowledging. On top of that, Brook Lopez then signs with the Clippers in free agency. And that isn’t just some minor detail. Lopez was crucial to this team even last season. There are very few centers who fit next to Giannis as seamlessly as Brooke did with his ability to stretch the floor and then anchor the paint. Miles Turner, however, is one of those rare few who can. He brings the same kind of three-point shooting and rim protection that made Lopez so valuable for all those years just in a younger, bouncier body. So yeah, the Turner signing makes total sense. He fits. He certainly raises the ceiling on defense and he compliments Giannis in the same way Lopez did, if not better in some areas. But man, when you take a step back and look at the whole situation, it is tough. There really wasn’t a good way to move forward. People are acting like Milwaukee made some obvious unforgivable mistake, but that just isn’t true. They were boxed into a corner. It was either this move or risk Giannis wasting another season of his prime next to a 54 million cap Ghost. That’s the kind of thing that could have led to a real disaster scenario, a Giannis trade request. Which brings us to the next point, the Giannis situation. Honestly, we haven’t had a single break from the quote unquote Giannis trade rumors all off season, even during the playoffs. But let’s be real, I’m not even sure if those rumors actually ever existed beyond the headlines. The media has been absolutely relentless in trying to force this story because they want to see Giannis in a bigger market. They’ve completely ignored what Giannis has actually been saying about his future. And yeah, he has publicly addressed it more than once. You just haven’t seen it. Remember when Shams reported Giannis was open about his future. That was pure clickbait. No real substance. But Giannis responded. He literally posted, “Does anyone miss woge?” implying that Shams wasn’t telling the truth. And then followed that up by posting himself posing with a Bucks jersey while on vacation. Not exactly the moves of a guy planning to exit, but none of that fits the media’s story, so they completely ignored it. I even saw AI generated images of Giannis in a Warriors jersey making the rounds. And it’s just wild how far people are willing to go to keep this narrative alive. And then right after Dame was waved, we got a report from Chris Haynes that said Giannis quote unquote wasn’t pleased with the move. And that one quote became a massive story. But what people actually missed or conveniently left out is that Shams reported that Giannis actually helped to recruit Miles Turner and actually facilitated the move. But again, that version doesn’t fully support the drama, so it was buried. And look, I’m not saying Chris Haynes is lying. He’s a great reporter. But let’s not forget something. Haynes and Dame are super tight. Basically best friends. So if Giannis texted Dame saying something like, “I’m sorry, bro. This sucks.” and Lillard then passed that on to Hannes, of course, the report’s going to lean in a certain direction, that’s just human nature. But inflating that into Giannis is quote unquote unhappy, come on, that is a reach. And for anybody hoping this leads to a trade, I’m telling you right now, it’s just not going to happen. Giannis has consistently said that he wants the Bucks to be aggressive, to stay competitive, and to keep swinging. And that’s exactly what this move was, a massive swing. It might not be perfect. It might end up hurting them, but it’s bold and it keeps them in the fight. Giannis knows that. And if you actually listen to him, not just the headlines, you’ll see that he’s likely not going anywhere. Now, we need to talk about what this all means for Dame Lillard. This whole past season was just one stretch of bad luck after another for Dame. From the off-c court family matters to dealing with blood clots and now on top of all of that, an Achilles tear. It’s honestly the worst possible scenario you could possibly imagine. And yet, through all of that, I’m seeing a lot of people framing what the Bucks did as some kind of coldhearted terrible move. When in reality, I think they actually did Dame a bit of a solid. Like, who wouldn’t want to be making $22.5 million per year for the next five seasons to do literally nothing? Milwaukee could have taken a different route. They could have traded him to the Pelicans or the Wizards and just taken back a smaller, less expensive contract and then waved that player instead. But instead, they just let Dne go. That means Lillard now has the full freedom to choose his next destination, no trade strings, no weird contractual limbo, just clean open space. He’s a free agent with a recurring paycheck, and total control. So, all things considered, it’s certainly not a bad place to be. Of course, the big question is where does he actually go from here? There’s reports saying that Dame might not even play at all next season, which makes total sense. And Achilles tear is no joke. So maybe he signs a one-year deal somewhere else with good rehab facilities and focuses strictly on recovery. That’s an option. But realistically, I think he’ll either commit to a longer deal now with a team he sees his future with, or he’ll wait until he’s fully healthy to make that choice next off season. And when that time comes, there are a few destinations I would really like for him. First up, the Miami Heat. It feels like Miami has been trying to find that marquee star ever since LeBron James left them back in 2014. And every time they do get close, but it just ends up slipping away. In 2023, they were actually the front runners to land Dame. That deal looked almost set in stone. And then Milwaukee swoops in at the final bell to out bid the but now they’ve got a second chance. There was clearly mutual interest between Dame and the Heat as he loved the idea of being the guy in Miami. And if he still feels that he’s got the green light to go and make it happen. The Eastern Conference isn’t exactly stacked with juggernauts right now either. So pairing up with Tyler Hiro and Bamab Bio could actually give him a real shot to make some noise. Then you’ve got the Golden State Warriors. And according to reports, the Warriors have already reached out to Dame following the waiver. And that tracks he’s an Oakland native. He’s beloved by the Bay Area. And most importantly, his timeline might actually line up with theirs. Steph, Draymond, and Jimmy are all under contract through the 202627 season. So, if Dame does sit out next year, he could return just in time for one final allout run at the title for the Warriors in that season. That’s a poetic way to cap off a career, helping extend Golden State’s dynasty, potentially one last time. And then there’s the full circle story, a potential return to Portland. In an interview with Chris Manx back in February, Dame opened up about how lonely he’s actually been in Milwaukee. His family stayed behind in Portland, his home, for over a decade, and emotionally, he’s never really left it behind. Now, roster-wise, bringing him back wouldn’t make a ton of sense for the current iteration of the Trailblazers, especially with their current youth movement. But if Dame’s not going to win a ring elsewhere, and he feels like that ship has sailed, why not go back and just finish it where it started? A potential farewell tour in Portland feels like the kind of ending that is just fitting for a guy like Lillard. But there’s one more under the radar landing spot that I really like for Dame, and it’s the Boston Celtics. Yes, I believe the Celtics should make a run for Damen Lillard. Now, yes, money problems are very real in Boston, but you could potentially sign him to a smaller deal given his injury, let him recover with Jason Tatum, and then go for it all in the 2627 season with a potential starting five of Lillard, Derek White, Jaylen Brown, and Jason Tatum as that’s certainly championship caliber. From there, Boston would then have to find another big man. But after that, you could go all out in the 2627 season and I think that would be Damen Lillard’s best chance of winning. However, he would have to take less money to make it happen. So ultimately, the ball is fully in Dame’s court now. He has the freedom, the leverage, and all of the time to figure out exactly what he wants to do. And honestly, that is so rare in this league. He can pick exactly where he wants to be, when he wants to be there, and how he wants his chapter to end. The same absolutely cannot be said for the Bucks, though. They’re the ones left with less freedom, fewer options, and real pressure. So, now let’s break down exactly how good I think this team’s going to be next season. First of all, I want to make it clear, I actually really like what Milwaukeee’s done this off season. Say what you will about the whole Miles Turner situation. And yeah, I get it. They’re effectively paying him around $50 million a year between Turner and the leftover Lilard money, which is definitely a steep price, but I still think they made the best of a tough spot. The big thing for me is that they kept the rest of the core together. These guys could have easily walked. They could have chased bigger contracts or signed with teams in more stable situations, but they didn’t. They all stayed. And that says a lot about what Milwaukee is still trying to build and how committed they are to competing now even after such a chaotic off season. They started by resigning fan favorite Bobby Porters to a three-year $44 million deal. That is far less than what he probably could have gotten on the open market and shows just how much he still values this group. Then they pulled off another steel bringing back Kevin Porter Jr. a guy who actually looked fantastic to close the season in Milwaukee, bringing him back on just a 2-year, $11 million deal. That’s an absolute bargain for someone with his talent scoring upside and just how well he looked alongside Giannis. They then followed that up by resigning sharpshooter Torian Prince on a 2-year minimum. And then they landed the most important player I believed Milwaukee needed to resign, Gary Trent Jr. They brought him back on a 2-year $7.5 million deal, which is again incredible value for someone who emerged as a key rotation piece for them last season, averaging 11.1 points per game on 41% shooting from deep. He’ll almost certainly be the starting two guard next year. And because of all of that, I think Milwaukee is going to be far more competitive than most people realize. But the biggest reason I’m excited about the Bucks next season and why I still think they can be dangerous is because I believe we’re about to see an MVP caliber season again from Giannis. With more touches, a higher usage rate, and the fact that he’s going to play point guard, you’re going to see his numbers absolutely explode. We already know his numbers with Dame were still amongst some of the best in the league. But when Dame was out last season, Giannis took it to another level. Milwaukee closed the year on an eight-game winning streak. And in six of those games that Giannis played in, he was putting up video game numbers. 31.8 points, 12 rebounds, 11.8 assists, 2.2 stops, all on 63% effective field goal percentage. That was some of the best basketball of his entire career. And the reason for it, he was running the show. He was the point guard. Everything flowed through him. He made the decisions. He initiated the offense, controlled the tempo, and after the season, he even said he’s more comfortable playing that role. So, with no dame and no other true bull dominant star in the lineup, that’s the version of Giannis we’re going to see next season. Personally, I’d be putting all of my money on him making a serious run at the MVP. Now, look, are the Bucks going to be in the upper echelon of title contenders in the East? Probably not. They’re not quite in that top tier with Cleveland or Atlanta at the moment, but they’re not as far off as some people think. This team still has talent and now a superstar in his prime who’s going to have the ball in his hands more than ever. And that’s why these five moves, these five key decisions on day one of NBA free agency could end up having massive ripple effects across the league next season. And if you want to dive deeper into that, then you can check out the full breakdown right now.

The Damian Lillard Situation Was Crazier Than We Thought

I mean, we’ve never — and I mean never — seen anything quite like this before. The Milwaukee Bucks just waived and stretched Damian Lillard’s contract in order to sign Myles Turner. Yeah. They waived an All-Star. Now, we see buyouts all the time in the offseason — teams reshuffle the roster, clear cap, make room for new pieces — but this? This was something entirely different. But as a Bucks fan, I want to unpack this situation properly because I’m seeing a lot of outrage and confusion online without anyone really diving into the actual why of it all..
_____________________________________________________________
▼ CONTACT ▼

For business enquiries please contact: basketballreach@gmail.com

_____________________________________________________________
Footage in this video is owned by the NBA and its partners. It is intended for critique and education.

// TIMESTAMPS:

KEYWORDS:
#nba #nbahighlights #basketball #sports #hoops #athlete #basketballrankings #ballislife #bestplayers #nbaanalysis #lakers #lebronjames #nbarecaps #nbaplayoffs #bucks #celtics #spurs #nuggets #warriors #stephencurry #stephcurry #bulls #lukadoncic #mavs

Thanks for watching this is The Damian Lillard Situation Was Crazier Than We Thought