NBA Exec Says Bucks Turned 'Bad Situation into a Worse One' by Waiving Damian Lillard

One NBA executive told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Jamal Collier that the Milwaukee Bucks waiving Damian Lillard turned a "bad situation into a worse one."

"That's a move you talk yourself into in the boardroom in July when you have nowhere else to go," the exec said.

"Reckless," another executive added.

The Bucks waived Lillard on Monday, stretching the remaining $113 million on his contract to clear cap space in order to sign free agent Myles Turner, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Ahead of the Lillard move, the Bucks had no cap space to work with. Waiving Lillard and stretching the $113 million remaining on his contract created the financial flexibility to sign center Myles Turner—but the decision has sparked significant backlash across the league from fans, players and executives alike.

Lillard suffered an Achilles tear during Milwaukee’s first-round loss to the Pacers, which sidelined him and left the Bucks with a $54 million gap on the roster heading into next season.

To complicate matters, ESPN’s Charania previously reported that franchise cornerstone Giannis Antetokounmpo was closely monitoring the team’s offseason moves before deciding on his long-term future in Milwaukee.

Now, there are reports that Antetokounmpo is “not pleased” with the team's decision to waive Lillard, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes.

Aside from creating cap space to land Turner, the Bucks will still be on the hook for $22.5 million annually to Lillard over the next five years, as part of the stretch provision used to waive him, per ESPN's Bobby Marks