In the summer of 2025, the Bucks decided to stretch-and-waive Damian Lillard so they would have room to sign Myles Turner with the hope that Turner could convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to stick around. Now, just 16 months later, Giannis is off the team and Lillard is playing much better than Turner.
Lillard is back to playing decently well, averaging 19 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists per game this season. He’s not the superstar he was before his Achilles injury, but he is a guard that could’ve guided the Bucks’ young pieces and even been a trade asset. On the other hand, Turner is having a career-worst season averaging just 7 points and 5 rebounds per game.
Waiving Lillard for Turner was a huge mistake
The Bucks don’t need to regret waiving Lillard too much, considering their rising young talent now. If they hadn’t waived him, he would be making over $50 million this season, which would be an overpay. However, that contract would at least be expiring after this season; Turner has 3 years left on his deal and is not living up to it.
The stretch-and-waive decision also keeps Lillard’s “dead money” on the books until 2030, rather than making him a possible trade chip for desperate teams needing more scoring. The Bucks might’ve been able to get better value for him if they weren’t so impatient to get Turner at all costs.
The biggest slap in the face from this whole ordeal has been Turner’s awful play in Milwaukee. In his 77 games with the Bucks so far, he’s averaged just 11.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Even his alleged strengths have been down since leaving Indiana: he’s blocked just 1.7 shots per game and is shooting 19% from three this season.
Turner will continue to haunt the Bucks
The Bucks don’t have an easy way out of Turner’s contract now. He’ll be making over $25 million in each of the next three seasons, which most teams won’t be willing to take on without extra compensation. Some teams may bite if desperate enough, but he won’t be a highly sought-after trade target.
Milwaukee is also out of the stretch-and-waive option to use on Turner because they’re still on the hook for Lillard at $22.5 million per season. Essentially, the Bucks are now using almost $50 million of cap space per season to keep Turner, between his own deal and Lillard’s dead money.
If that move had never been made, the Bucks would have a lot more flexibility (especially in upcoming years) to sign free agents or acquire draft capital by taking on bad contracts. It’s not just the departure of Giannis, but also the harm to the rebuild, where Turner’s damage is felt.
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