Carmelo Anthony Rips Bucks for Waiving Damian Lillard After Injury, 'No Loyalty'
The Milwaukee Bucks surely envisioned Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard winning championships together when they paired the two stars ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
Two years later, they ended up with two first-round exits and a member of the 2025 Hall of Fame class calling them out on Instagram.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported Tuesday that Milwaukee waived Lillard and was able to acquire Myles Turner on a four-year, $107 million deal by stretching the remaining $113 million on the guard's contract.
The timing of the move was certainly notable, as Lillard suffered a torn Achilles during the playoffs and is expected to miss at least the majority of the upcoming campaign. In a reply to ESPN's Instagram post about the move, NBA legend Carmelo Anthony wrote: "NO LOYALTY IN SPORTS!!!"
It is another step in a disappointing stretch for the Bucks, who have dealt with a number of injuries and early playoff exits since they won the championship in 2021. But Lillard might not be all that broken up about it, as it gives him far more freedom to choose his next destination when he is ready to return to the court.
Sam Amick of The Athletic reported the nine-time All-Star was "elated" with the move and has already "received calls from several contending teams."
Amick wrote that "it puts him in the kind of basketball-first position that few All-Star level players, if any, have experienced in league history. In short, he'll be able to join the contending team of his choosing, either sometime soon or perhaps next summer, without the financial aspect of the decision playing a significant part."
The optics of a team moving on from a star player who is rehabbing from a significant injury aren't great, but this could end up freeing Lillard to pursue the championship ring that has eluded him throughout his career.
As for Anthony, he certainly understands what it feels like to be a star player when a team decides to head in a different direction.
The Denver Nuggets traded him to the New York Knicks during the 2010-11 campaign despite his status as an All-Star and one of the best offensive players in the league.
He played with New York through the 2016-17 season and bounced around to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers in the final stretch of his career.
