The 2025 NBA offseason may have started slowly, but it has certainly picked up in the past few hours, surprisingly with the Milwaukee Bucks leading the charge. Their unprecedented waiving of superstar guard Damian Lillard only months after tearing his Achilles hasn’t just shocked the general public, but also the face of their franchise.
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Bucks general manager Jon Horst was responsible for orchestrating the 2021 championship roster, which means he also broke it up by trading Jrue Holiday for Damian Lillard. Only two seasons later, it’s Lillard’s turn to make the sacrifice play, whether he likes it or not.
That said, the decision to waive him doesn’t come completely out of nowhere. Milwaukee spread out his contract over the course of many years, according to Shams Charania, allowing them to open the necessary cap space to sign big man Myles Turner. The 6-foot-11 big man agreed on a four-year $107 million contract with the Bucks.
Milwaukee, interestingly, didn’t even seem like a suitor for Turner. It was believed to be a foregone conclusion that Turner would return to the Indiana Pacers, especially after their NBA Finals run. But Milwaukee worked in silence to finalize these deals, without even their squad being privy to it.
NBA analyst Chris Haynes revealed that Lillard certainly was in the dark about not being a part of the team’s plans for the future.
“He was surprised. [The Bucks] did not tell Dame that this was coming,” Haynes said on NBA TV.
“I was told that Dame found out about his situation just like everybody else found out. You could read into that as you may, but at the end of the day, he’s going to be a free agent for the first time ever in his career. He’s going to have the opportunity to choose his own team … He’s in a good place mentally but there are definitely things that could have been done and handled differently for sure,” he added.
As a result, this ending of their partnership has left a bad taste in Lillard’s mouth. But he’s not the only one seemingly unhappy with Horst’s decision.
Two-time MVP and one-time NBA champion with the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo was notably frustrated with the way the front office handled this controversial affair.
“Giannis Antetokounmpo is not pleased with the Bucks’ decision to buy out Damian Lillard. He just didn’t like how it was handled,” Haynes revealed.
“He just didn’t like how it was handled.” @ChrisBHaynes reports on Giannis’ reaction to Milwaukee waiving Damian Lillard pic.twitter.com/cyLzAvtcGS
— NBA TV (@NBATV) July 1, 2025
Antetokounmpo’s future with the team, meanwhile, has also been questioned, with speculations about him being available on the trade market. Following Milwaukee’s waiving of Lillard, Giannis might also question his position as an indispensable member of the team.
This lack of transparency between the front office and their superstar could be troubling, considering the Bucks aren’t in a position to win a championship.
Milwaukee is under a microscope, and the next few weeks will speak volumes not only of their near future but the outlook of the team moving forward. Suddenly, Antetokounmpo’s likelihood of being a Buck for life isn’t as high as it once was.
