Giannis Antetokounmpo Aghast With Damian Lillard Waiver Amid Myles Turner Signing

Giannis Antetokounmpo is not pleased by how Damian Lillard was cut lose, despite the Bucks landing Myles Turner.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Aghast With Damian Lillard Waiver Amid Myles Turner Signing

Giannis Antetokounmpo is unhappy after Damian Lillard waiver (FS Image)

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The Bucks have landed in hot water with franchise star Giannis Antetokounmpo after their moves on Tuesday. They signed former Pacers center Myles Turner to a 4-year, $107 million deal. However, they also let injured star Damian Lillard, who suffered a torn Achilles in the playoffs, walk from the team. The team applied the waive-and-stretch provision to spread his 2-year, $113 million contract over five years.

This marks the end of an unsuccessful experiment conducted by the front office after their ignominious 2023 playoff defeat to the Miami Heat in the first round. The Bucks had sent Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in addition to draft compensation for the Blazers legend. Even at that time, Giannis had problems with the Bucks’ front office’s approach to landing Lillard while keeping him in the dark about Holiday.

After news of the Myles Turner signing broke, the Greek Freak was completely nonplussed, as evidenced by his tweets in the aftermath.

It is clear that the two-time MVP isn’t pleased by the manner in which the organization cut ties with Damian Lillard. After all, the man had arrived in Wisconsin with the explicit intent of pursuing championships. But the duo never got to work together as Giannis got injured ahead of the 2024 playoffs. Lillard, on the other hand, tore his Achilles in the first round this year.

Chris Haynes went on NBA TV to talk about what his sources informed him on Giannis’ reaction to the upheaval:

Sources have relayed to me that Giannis Antetokounmpo is not pleased with the Bucks’ decision to buy out Damian Lillard for the remainder of his contract. He just didn’t like how it was handled. And so Giannis, this whole offseason, since the season ended, he’s been weighing his options and trying to figure out what he’s gonna do. Trying to navigate his future. This is just one more thing thing added to the equation, which he’s seeing that suspect things are happening, or the way that they are happening.

Damian Lillard could be headed to the Miami Heat based on the latest rumors

The Miami Heat were heavily linked to Damian Lillard in the summer of 2023 as he requested a move away from the Pacific Northwest. Lillard is still a cult hero in Oregon, but he is now free to join Pat Riley for a fresh playoff push. The Heat have already been closely linked to the 13-year veteran, who will be out for most or all of 2025-26.

Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard (Imagn)

Despite the failure of their previous pursuit of Lillard, it is expected that the Heat will try and get his services now that he’s a free agent. Despite Riley’s failures in his past recruitments, Lillard has displayed an affinity for the organization repeatedly over many years. Him landing at South Beach after recovering would give the Heat the superstar scorer that they’ve sorely lacked since the prime Heatles.

However, Lillard would hardly be among the top priorities for teams this season. NBA fans should expect more market upheaval before anything concrete is announced on this front.

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