The Milwaukee Bucks made a surprising move during the offseason when they waived Damian Lillard, but it's quickly paying off in multiple ways. It opened up the financial flexibility to sign Myles Turner and has also given more minutes to emerging young guards like Ryan Rollins. It was definitely a controversial decision at the time, but the Bucks are not regretting it one bit.
Damian Lillard's time in Milwaukee was up
After Dame tore his Achilles in the playoffs, the Bucks knew they had to move him somehow. Giannis Antetokounmpo is still firmly in his prime, and the Bucks needed to maximize every dollar of their salary cap to build a contender around him. They didn't have the luxury of waiting a year for Lillard to recover from his injury and likely come back as a lesser, older player.
With that in mind, the Milwaukee Bucks made the unprecedented move to move on from Lillard and surround Giannis with complementary pieces. So far in the young season, the results have been good, and the Bucks stand at 4-2. Without a secondary talent as dominant as Lillard, the Bucks are playing a style with more ball movement and distribution of opportunities for their supporting cast.
But some candidates have emerged to replace Lillard's presence - most notably Ryan Rollins. The 23-year-old guard has burst onto the scene as an energetic two-way player with flashes of high-level scoring and playmaking.
He's now averaging 18 points, four rebounds, and five assists per game while shooting efficiently (54 percent from the field and 40 percent from three). Rollins has been the flash of energy and potential that the Milwaukee Bucks needed to elevate the team during a retooling season.
Although Rollins was already on the team last season, he might not have been able to reach the same levels with Dame still on the roster. Lillard would have been making a monstrous $45 million while recovering from his injury, which would have limited the Bucks financially. Not only did they use the room from his waive-and-stretch to acquire Turner, but they also added contributors like Cole Anthony.
Anthony has been a good bench piece so far for the Bucks and complements Rollins well. Both play with high energy on both ends of the court and have the skill set to be effective with or without the ball. While they don't bring the consistent individual dominance that Lillard once did, the two young point guards have been the perfect fit for a balanced team around Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks' drastic shift away from Damian Lillard was a risky move that will have ramifications for years to come. However, so far, it's looked like a home run that has given them multiple advantages and made the best of their situation.