The Milwaukee Bucks poached division rival Myles Turner from the Indiana Pacers before waiving Damian Lillard.
It’s officially midnight on Dame Time in Milwaukee.
Per Shams Charania of ESPN, the Milwaukee Bucks have signed former division rival Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million contract, finding the financial means through the waiving of Damian Lillard.
Charania notes that the waiving was the Bucks’ “creative path to waive and stretch Lillard, whose salary will be stretched over the next five seasons, while leaving their future draft assets untouched.” Lillard is currently rehabbing from a torn Achilles injury that cut his second, and final, season in Milwaukee short.
BREAKING: Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is not pleased with the team’s decision to waive Damian Lillard, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/NGqJIWRQeq
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 1, 2025
What Myles Turner Brings To Milwaukee
Lillard leaves in place of Turner, a former division rival who played a role in the Bucks’ postseason demise in each of the last two seasons with the Indiana Pacers. The longest-tenured Pacer, Turner played a major role in Indiana’s return to respectability, culminating in the franchise’s first NBA Finals showing in a quarter-century last month.
The 29-year-old Turner departs Indianapolis with an undeniable spot in the team’s record books, standing as the all-time leader in blocks (1,412) while ranking fourth in three-pointers (756) and ninth in rebounds (4,349) on the franchise’s all-time ledger.
Adding in Turner is part of a hearty push for the Bucks, who are doing their utmost to impress Giannis Antetokounmpo, after he hinted that he would be keeping an eye on the team’s offseason after three straight first-round oustings, two at the hands of Turner’s Pacers. Per Evan Sidery of Forbes, Antetokounmpo played a role in attracting the similarly-skilled Turner to Wisconsin, which Sidery says makes it “hard to imagine [an Antetokounmpo] trade request [is] coming anytime soon.”
In addition to signing Turner, Milwaukee has also added Kevin Porter Jr. and Taurean Prince while re-upping with tenured Antetokounmpo teammates Bobby Portis and Gary Trent Jr.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
