Giannis Reportedly 'Not Pleased' with Damian Lillard Being Waived by Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks' decision to waive Damian Lillard may have displeased Giannis Antetokounmpo as the superstar reportedly considers whether he wants to remain with the team going forward.
Antetokounmpo was "not pleased" by the Bucks' decision to waive Lillard on Tuesday, NBA insider Chris Haynes reported.
Antetokounmpo posted on X on Tuesday morning before news broke that the Bucks had signed former Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner and waived Lillard:
The Bucks waived Lillard with two years and $112.6 million remaining on his contract. That amount will be stretched to $22.5 million per season over the next five years, per ESPN's Bobby Marks.
Lillard's contract will take up 14.5 percent of the Bucks' cap during the 2025-26 season, per CapSheets' Yossi Gozlan.
He was previously set to make $54 million next season while not playing for at least part of the campaign due to the Achilles injury he suffered during the playoffs, which would have limited the Bucks' ability to build a contender around Antetokounmpo in the short term.
Stretching that contract means the cap constraints posed by Lillard's deal will now extend through the 2029-30 season, potentially limiting hindering the Bucks' ability to build a championship team through the remainder of Antetokounmpo's contract.
Antetokounmpo is currently signed for at least two more seasons with a player option for the 2027-28 campaign.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported in May that Antetokounmpo was "open-minded" about considering another team for the first time in his NBA career.
Charania then reported last week that reported that Antetokounmpo was "closely observing" the Bucks' approach to the draft and free agency as he weighed his decision.
The Bucks have since lost Brook Lopez to free agency before signing Turner to a four-year, $107 million deal, as reported by Charania.
Charania reported on Tuesday that "Turner and Antetokounmpo both valued the opportunity to partner together on the court during the process" of trading for the former Pacers center.
Milwaukee also re-signed Bobby Portis, Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince and Kevin Porter Jr. before waiving Lillard.
Whether or not Antetokounmpo believes those moves make the Bucks more likely to win a championship could impact whether he ultimately decides to seek a trade from Milwaukee.
