Latest news with #Bucks'
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bucks have officially waived Damian Lillard, which cleared way for free agent signings
The Milwaukee Bucks officially waived all-star point guard Damian Lillard on July 6, but the transaction posted July 7 and was backdated via the NBA's official transaction register. It was the first move that needed to be made by the organization to free up the cap space to sign free-agent center Myles Turner (and create room and exceptions for their other free-agent signings). The Bucks elected to waive the point guard and stretch the remaining $113 million on his deal over the next five seasons, reducing their commitment to him on their salary cap from $54 million this year down to $22.5 million. Advertisement Lillard, who will turn 35-years-old on July 15, suffered a torn left Achilles tendon during the Bucks' playoff loss to Indiana on April 27. Once he clears waivers, he will become an unrestricted free agent. Any contract over the next five seasons can offset the Bucks' salary cap hit, though it must be a sizable contract for it to result in a significant savings. Lillard turned in two all-star seasons while with the Bucks, appearing in 131 games and averaging 24.6 points and 7.0 assists per game. He was the all-star game MVP in 2024 and helped the Bucks win the 2025 NBA Cup title. Bucks waive Vasilije Micić The Bucks also went through the formality of waiving Vasilije Micić, whom they acquired from Charlotte for Pat Connaughton and two draft picks. It was the second time Micić was traded this summer after Phoenix picked up his team option, as he was effectively used as a number to facilitate both trades. Slated to make $8.1 million this season, he agreed to a buyout with the Bucks to return to Europe. Advertisement Bucks waive Chris Livingston The Bucks formally waived third-year forward Chris Livingston on July 2. His contract would have been guaranteed on July 15 for the upcoming season, so the move opened up a roster spot as well as $2.2 million in salary. Livingston, who is entering his third season in the NBA, was the No. 58 pick in the 2023 draft This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks officially waived Damian Lillard, cleared way for free agents
Time of India
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Giannis Antetokounmpo shuts down trade talk and says he 'probably' stays with Milwaukee Bucks
(Image Source - Getty Images) The trade whispers around Giannis Antetokounmpo refuse to fade—but Milwaukee isn't backing down. After a rough playoff exit and rising speculation, Doc Rivers and the front office have stepped up, aligning behind their superstar. With Giannis saying he'll 'probably' stay and the Bucks making bold roster moves, the situation feels steady—yet not sealed. One word keeps the future open, and fans on edge. Giannis Antetokounmpo drops one Word that shifts the offseason conversation Following the Bucks' exit in the first round for the third straight year, ESPN's Shams Charania disclosed on May 12 that Antetokounmpo was "open-minded" regarding whether Milwaukee was his best long-term option. However, just a month later, Brian Windhorst stated that "there is no trade market" for Giannis—neither he nor the Bucks are advocating for a trade. This swift shift prompts some questions: is this the conclusion of the rumor cycle. Doc Rivers, the head coach of the Bucks, didn't mince words. He referred to the trade discussions as "ridiculous" and backed his superstar during his time on The Bill Simmons Show: 'I don't know how many more times Giannis has to say he wants to be a Buck and win a title'. Sources from Sports Illustrated mentioned that Rivers and the front office presented an appealing plan to Giannis, which helped him feel more at ease about staying put. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 20 Pieces of Clothing you should Ditch over 40 Learn More Undo While Damian Lillard is anticipated to miss the full 2025–26 season as he recovers from a torn Achilles, Milwaukee is taking initiative. They've signed veteran center Myles Turner, kept crucial free agents like Bobby Portis and Gary Trent Jr., and have approximately $14.1 million in mid-level exception funds plus a $7.2 million trade exception. The front office, led by GM Jon Horst, is "active and moving money" to enhance the roster and show Giannis they're committed. The Bucks' chance at another championship might be more open than it seems. Since they won the title in 2021, they've had the highest win percentage in the NBA (.663 since 2018–19), but their playoff performance has hit a snag with only one series victory. Giannis, who put up an impressive 30.4 PPG, 11.9 RPG, and 6.5 APG this season while shooting 60 percent, can still lead the team. However, to fulfill his goals, Milwaukee needs to add more talent around him. Also Read: Devin Booker becomes NBA's highest-paid player per year after signing $150M extension with Phoenix Suns With Giannis's brief but significant comment, Doc Rivers's sharp response, and the front office's clear determination, Milwaukee is indicating stability around its star. Still, the word "probably" leaves just enough room for ongoing dialogue. For now, Giannis looks set to stay—but with so much at risk this summer, Bucks fans might want to stay cautious for the time being. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Manika Batra's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 3. Watch Here!
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bucks' $6.1 million buyout, Damian Lillard waiver clear way for Myles Turner
The post Bucks' $6.1 million buyout, Damian Lillard waiver clear way for Myles Turner appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Milwaukee Bucks made bold financial moves Monday to clear space for center Myles Turner in NBA Free Agency. The Bucks waived Damian Lillard and Vasilije Micic in a calculated effort to stay below key salary limits. The two moves shed cap-heavy contracts and gave Milwaukee the flexibility it needed. Advertisement Damian Lillard's release was the bigger headline. The nine-time All-Star, acquired just last season in a blockbuster trade, will now account for $22.5 million in dead money annually for the next five seasons. It's a steep price, but one Milwaukee was willing to pay to reset its roster and regain flexibility. The real finesse came with Micic's exit. Micic agreed to a $6.1 million buyout, according to a league source. As a result, the Bucks' cap hit dropped from $8.1 million to just $2 million. Furthermore, with the stretch provision, his remaining salary now spreads over three years, about $666,666 per season. Consequently, by making these moves, the Bucks stay under the 15 percent 'stretched money' cap limit set by the NBA's collective bargaining agreement. Since no team can have more than 15 percent of its salary tied to stretched contracts, the timing was critical. Although Milwaukee came close, the two stretch-and-waive deals ultimately keep them compliant. More importantly, it frees the cap space needed to bring in Turner, one of the top remaining names in NBA Free Agency. His shot-blocking, floor-spacing, and playoff experience make him a seamless fit alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. His signing signals that Milwaukee is retooling, not rebuilding. Advertisement For Vasilije Micic, the buyout opens the door to pursue other opportunities, whether that's a return to Europe or another shot in the NBA. As for Lillard, his future remains uncertain. But the Bucks' direction is clear: they're going all in on a new supporting cast. With Myles Turner inbound and the books now balanced, Milwaukee just changed the shape of its 2025–26 roster. In a crowded Eastern Conference, that may be exactly the edge they need. Related: Myles Turner's new Bucks contract is more than initially reported Related: Bucks add flexibility with contract 'exchange'
New York Times
08-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
After signing Myles Turner and waiving Damian Lillard, where do the Bucks stand?
One week after Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst stunned the NBA with a flurry of proposed high-profile moves, including agreeing to sign a division rival's starting center and planning to waive and stretch the contract of a nine-time All-Star, those transactions became official over the last 24 hours. Advertisement The Bucks' 2025-26 roster has begun to take shape, providing a clearer outline of what's been accomplished and what moves they still need to make. While much of the day involved using ink to rewrite things that had been written in pencil, the most significant revelations may have come from Indianapolis, where Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard told the media that he was shocked by how his team's negotiations with former center Myles Turner unfolded. 'We would have been open on a sign-and-trade because it's sort of mutually beneficial, but we didn't get to that point, unfortunately,' Pritchard said. 'I saw Shams tweet it, and that's how I knew that Myles was taken away.' #Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard on Myles Turner signing with the Bucks: 'Herb Simon and Steven Rales and the Simon family were fully prepared to go deep into the tax to keep him, and we really wanted to do that.' — WISH-TV News (@WISHNews8) July 7, 2025 Pritchard sidestepped direct questions regarding whether or not the Pacers were given a chance to match the Bucks' offer, but Pritchard left little doubt that he was not expecting the Bucks to create cap space and sign Turner at the start of free agency. Instead, that is precisely what Horst did by waiving Damian Lillard and stretching his $112 million contract — the most significant such move in NBA history — and shocking the basketball world, including Pritchard. While we reported a lot of Bucks news over the last week here at The Athletic, there were going to be more details revealing how the Bucks pulled off their roster-building strategy. Waiving Lillard and then stretching his contract over the next five seasons (for roughly $22.5 million each year) created much of the cap space the Bucks needed to sign Turner this summer, but not all of it. The Bucks needed to find a way to clear a bit more space, and they did that by trading Pat Connaughton and two second-round picks to the Charlotte Hornets for Serbian guard Vasilije Micić. Not only did Micić make less ($8.1 million) than Connaughton ($9.4 million), but Micić was also willing to work with the Bucks on a contract buyout. That assistance helped the Bucks create enough space to sign Turner and also prevented the team from exceeding the stretched salary threshold for the 2025-26 season. Advertisement On Monday, The Athletic reported that Micić agreed to a $6.1 million buyout, which shrunk his salary cap hit for the 2025-26 season to only $2 million before the Bucks waived him. Teams are not allowed to have more than 15 percent of their salary cap taken up by stretched money in any season, and that buyout, plus the subsequent waive-and-stretch, kept the Bucks from going over the limit. A leader as resilient and clutch as they come. You gave your all for this team and this city. Thank you, Dame. — Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) July 7, 2025 On Monday, the Bucks thanked Lillard for his time in Milwaukee. With injuries hampering Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the postseason, Lillard's time in Milwaukee did not go as anyone could have expected when Horst made the surprising move to acquire one of the NBA's top 75 players a few days before the 2023-24 season. In 131 regular-season games with the Bucks, Lillard averaged 24.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists, but he ended up only playing 62 playoff minutes with Antetokounmpo in three playoff games, all this postseason. More signings are expected to become official in the coming days. On Monday, the Bucks announced that they had signed Turner and re-signed point guard Kevin Porter Jr. and big man Bobby Portis. On Monday night, Mike Scotto reported that Turner's deal with the Bucks was for four years and $108.9 million. The Athletic can confirm that report, and the cap math behind it shows that the Bucks ended up giving every dollar of cap space they created by waiving Lillard and Micić to Turner's first-year salary. Also, a league source tells The Athletic that Andre Jackson Jr. and the Bucks agreed to push back the guarantee date on his $2.2 million contract for the 2025-26 season. In exchange for allowing his guarantee date to be pushed back, the Bucks guaranteed a portion of Jackson's contract for next season. Advertisement The move does not alter the contract options the Bucks have available to sign free agents at the moment or 'open up more space' for a free agent. The Bucks are still only able to use minimum contracts or what remains of the room exception (roughly $3.6 million, which is about the same as a minimum contract for a 10-year NBA veteran) after using part of it to sign Porter. While more moves still need to become official, this could be a reasonable facsimile of a depth chart for the Bucks for the time being: While the chart above lists a group of starters, there are plenty of other combinations among the top eight to 10 players that could make sense in the starting lineup. Reasonable minds can disagree on starting Gary Trent Jr. over AJ Green or only starting one of the Bucks' two best 3-point shooters. Others might feel better bringing Kyle Kuzma off the bench or letting Porter work with the reserves while Ryan Rollins opens the game with the starters, as the Bucks chose to do at the end of the regular season. All those opinions are reasonable, but this is a simple projection of the roster for now because those questions will work themselves out once the team opens training camp in three months. Typically, over the last five years, this would be the space where we'd explain how much money the Bucks have between various aprons and their options for avoiding different problems. This time, however, the drastic move of waiving and stretching Lillard (and Micić) and signing Turner with cap space took the Bucks out of those types of conversations. The signings (and re-signings) of Harris, Prince, Rollins, Sims and Trent still need to be announced and the official details need to be confirmed. Still, as it stands unofficially, the Bucks currently have two open roster spots left for free agents, and they sit over $20 million away from entering the luxury tax. That number will shrink with signings, but the Bucks are not subject to either of the CBA's hard caps. The Bucks have the option to use one of those open roster spots on Bogoljub Marković, the No. 47 pick in this past year's NBA Draft. They could also keep him stashed overseas or maybe see if he'd be willing to sign a two-way deal as Koby Brea (No. 41 to the Phoenix Suns) or Jamir Watkins (No. 43 to the Washington Wizards) did. They could also open up a third roster spot if they wanted to waive Jackson and only end up paying him the money they guaranteed to him by pushing back the guarantee date on his contract. They could take on more salary in a trade if they found the right deal. Advertisement There are options, but those options currently do not include spending more than roughly $3.6 million in the first year of a free agent's salary. The roster above shows a team built around Antetokounmpo as its lead playmaker, a strategy the Bucks used to close out last season when Lillard was sidelined due to deep vein thrombosis. After a test run to close the regular season, the Bucks also leaned into that setup in the playoffs and found themselves in a position to steal Game 5 in Indiana. However, a series of unfortunate events in the final minutes led to a loss and eliminated them from the playoffs. Antetokounmpo was spectacular in Game 5, putting up 30 points, 20 rebounds and 13 assists, but he also committed seven turnovers. With so much shot-creation responsibility put on his shoulders without Lillard, Antetokounmpo committed more turnovers than usual. The same was true in Game 1 without Lillard when Antetokounmpo committed five turnovers. After the Bucks were eliminated, the two-time NBA MVP discussed how much he enjoyed the role and how he can envision it being the next stage of his career. That, however, doesn't mean the Bucks should surround him only with shooters and let him handle the ball, creating everything for his teammates on every possession. Adding more ballhandling or shot creation could make things easier for Antetokounmpo. That should be a priority for the Bucks as they finalize their roster. Porter, 25, and Rollins, 23, are solid upside bets as point guards alongside Antetokounmpo. Still, the Bucks may want to find a sure-handed veteran point guard who can set up the team or a shooting guard such as Bradley Beal, who had the Bucks on a list of teams he'd consider if the Suns buy him out. Beal can be a playmaker, rather than relying primarily on his 3-point shooting like Trent and Green. As always, the Bucks might also want to see if they can find any young players to add on the wing. Teams can never have enough capable wings. While the Bucks have Kuzma and Prince in that spot now, both might be a better fit at the four, if not for the lack of available minutes at the position. If the Bucks could add a young wing with size, such as Dalano Banton or Amir Coffey, it might end up being a worthwhile investment for the future. (Photo of Myles Turner and Bobby Portis: Joe Murphy / NBAE via Getty Images)
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
'Y'all did my GOAT dirty' – Milwaukee Bucks' 'Thank You' note to Damian Lillard received strong words from fans
Milwaukee Bucks sent a "thank you" note to Damian Lillard. Image via: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images The Milwaukee Bucks parted ways with nine-time All-Star Damian Lillard on July 1, ending his brief but impactful stint with the franchise. The decision, aimed at clearing cap space to sign center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million deal, drew immediate backlash on social media. After a week of the news making headlines, the Bucks offered a short farewell message. However, many fans believed it fell far short of honoring a player of Lillard's legacy. Fans erupt over the Milwaukee Bucks' farewell message to Damian Lillard The Bucks issued a simple goodbye via their official X account: 'A leader as resilient and clutch as they come. You gave your all for this team and this city. Thank you, Dame.' — Bucks (@Bucks) What the team intended as a respectful send-off was quickly overwhelmed by passionate fan responses. One user (@blazersforreal) captured the frustration best with the comment: 'Y'all did my GOAT dirty smh. Glad he taking money from y'all.' Another user who goes by @lillardlegacy also slammed the Bucks, 'Yall never deserved him.' Fan reacts to Bucks' farewell message to Damian Lillard. Image via: X Another user (@CookieDaBest711) gave a heartfelt tribute to the legendary superstar, 'Will always appreciate him for what he did for our team. I still remember the excitement from that trade notification years ago. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Top 7 All-Inclusive Destinations That Accept Credit Card Rewards Liseer Learn More Undo I'll always remember Bucks Dame.' 'This post is disrespectful,' @Papivino_27 wrote onX. Lillard, 34, was still recovering from a torn left Achilles suffered during Game 3 of the Bucks' playoff series against the Indiana Pacers. It was just weeks after returning from a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. Still, Lillard averaged 24.9 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in 58 games. Despite playing through significant health setbacks, Lillard was named to his ninth All-Star team. His commitment to the team was evident, but the Bucks chose to stretch his remaining contract to clear space for Turner's signing. ESPN's Shams Charania confirmed that the deal would be paid out over five years under the stretch provision. Drafted sixth overall in 2012 by the Portland Trail Blazers, Lillard became the franchise's all-time leading scorer with 19,376 points. His resume includes seven All-NBA selections and the 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year honor. After his short Milwaukee chapter, he now enters free agency still owed his full salary. Also Read: Steve Kerr gives touching farewell to Kevon Looney following his departure from Golden State Warriors While the Bucks look ahead to retooling, Lillard will rehab in Portland, close to his family and training staff. He is expected to draw interest from contenders like the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and Boston Celtics once fully healthy. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
