Fans Are Upset After Bucks' Controversial Damian Lillard Move
Fans Are Upset After Bucks’ Controversial Damian Lillard Move originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Milwaukee Bucks have stunned the NBA world on Tuesday morning by waiving nine-time All-Star Damian Lillard.
Lillard, who will be recovering from an Achilles tear through the 2025-26 season, was waived to create salary room to sign Indiana Pacers’ Myles Turner in a deal nobody saw coming.
The Bucks waiving Lillard as he’s spending the next season rehabbing an injury he suffered while playing for them has not been popular. The merits of stretching a $113 million contract itself have come under question, but many fans are furious about how the Bucks have treated a loyal star like Lillard.
“What the Bucks did to Dame is both terrible financially for every party and disgusting ethically,” said one fan, sparking this debate.
“Throw him away after he rushed back from a blood clot to help you in the playoffs and tears his Achilles at 35, never wanna hear people complain about player loyalty again,” said a fan.
“Remember that they had him return early from blood clots and then coincidentally his Achilles couldn’t last a few games, now they’re going to waive him like nothing, don’t chat to me about any divas or unloyal players in this league,” said another fan about the Bucks’ treatment of Lillard.
“Unreal levels of cruel lmfao, most fans don’t get it’s like basically a forced retirement for Dame,” said one fan.
“And if Dame was the one choosing to leave, the coverage would be completely different bc people only care about ‘loyalty’ when it’s a player,” opined one fan about the situation.
“Damian Lillard came back and literally probably sacrificed his remaining peak years and ended up tearing his Achilles for a franchise that ended up waving him. No more loyalty talk,” shared another fan about how loyalty can be a one-way street in the NBA.
Lillard averaged 24.6 points, 7.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 131 games over his two seasons with the Bucks, being named an All-Star in both years.
He played a crucial role in the team’s Emirates NBA Cup victory in November 2024, although both his Playoff appearances ended in an injury-ridden first-round exit.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo reportedly displeased about this decision, it seems the Bucks have upset more than just fans with this.
The consequences of this move could affect the Bucks for a long time, outside the nearly $22 million of dead cap on their books for the next five seasons. Giannis could be a free agent in 2027, and if he loses faith in the Bucks, their departure might be on the horizon as well.
Related: Warriors Expected to Sign Veteran Title-Winning Big in Free Agency
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
