The Bucks have made their decision! Farewell, Lillard! This concerns a top 75 superstar.

Tom Thibodeau was ruthless, showing no respect to the top 75 superstar.

The Bucks surprisingly applied the stretch provision to waive Lillard, spreading his remaining two-year, $113 million contract over the next five seasons, and did so without sacrificing any future draft assets.

With an Achilles tear and nearing 35, the Bucks’ choice to move on from Lillard is reasonable, yet no one expected they would outright waive him, which was extremely shocking...

Insider Haynes revealed: Giannis is unhappy with the Bucks’ decision to waive Lillard.

In the summer of 2023, Lillard left the Portland Trail Blazers chasing a championship dream and brought his talent to Milwaukee. Over two seasons, he played 131 regular-season games, averaging 24.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 7 assists. In the playoffs, he appeared in 7 games, including the 2024 postseason where he averaged 31.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal per game.

However, during his two seasons partnering with Giannis in Milwaukee, Lillard never advanced past the first round of the playoffs, suggesting that joining the Bucks might have been a mistake.

Another key reason the Bucks decided to waive Lillard was to clear salary cap space to acquire Turner.

Indeed, Turner has signed a four-year, $107 million deal with the Bucks, which includes a player option and a 15% trade guarantee.

Turner, 29 years old, was the 11th pick in the 2015 first round and is a newly minted Finals-level center. Over his 10-year career with the Pacers, he averaged 14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 2.2 blocks in the regular season, and 13.8 points, 6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.9 blocks in the playoffs, earning two block titles during that time.

Although Turner is a big center, he has a reliable shooting touch, hitting 39.6% from three last season with an average of 2.2 made threes per game. He can be seen as a younger, enhanced version of Brook Lopez, perfectly suited to form a new inside duo with Giannis for the Bucks.

It’s worth noting Turner didn’t want to leave Indiana, but after Haliburton’s Achilles injury, the Pacers’ management lost hope for the upcoming season. They were unwilling to pay luxury tax to retain Turner, offering contracts averaging no more than $20 million, which led to his departure.

Overnight, the Bucks underwent a dramatic transformation, but with this fresh start, they are still expected to be a playoff-caliber team next season!