The biggest shocker of 2025 NBA free agency so far happened Tuesday morning as the Milwaukee Bucks made a pair of major moves. Myles Turner is leaving the Indiana Pacers to join the Bucks. And the Bucks are waiving nine-time All-Star Damian Lillard to make it happen.
Turner was one of the biggest names on the free agency market this summer, but after the Pacers made it to the NBA Finals, most anticipated his return to Indianapolis would be a mere formality. However, with Tyrese Haliburton’s Achilles injury, the Pacers changed their outlook for next season and that opened the door for the Bucks to make a shocking splash in free agency, getting Turner to agree to a four-year, $107 million deal to leave the Pacers for their divisional rival, per ESPN.
To make room for Turner, the Bucks are stretching and waiving Lillard after the star guard tore his Achilles in the playoffs, per ESPN. Lillard, who first joined the Bucks in 2023, is likely to miss all of next season. The Bucks owe him $113 million. Originally they were set to pay it out over the next two seasons, but by stretching the contract, Milwaukee will reportedly pay it out over five years.
ESPN reported the Pacers weren’t willing to pay the luxury tax next year given Haliburton’s injury and the Bucks were happy to swoop in and bring Turner in as their replacement for Brook Lopez, who left for the Clippers on Monday night.
Adding Turner into Lopez’s role seems like a tremendous fit for Milwaukee, who spent Monday re-signing most of their own free agents — Gary Trent Jr., Kevin Porter Jr. and Bobby Portis — with Lopez as the main departure. Few, if any, saw Turner as a legitimate option for the Bucks, but he’s a huge addition and gives them the kind of rim protector and stretch big they’ve loved pairing with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo himself has been the subject of trade speculation since the Bucks’ season ended two months ago. Though recent reports indicated he would stay in Milwaukee, even with Lillard sidelined. Giannis posted a meme on social media minutes before the moves that he didn’t “know what’s going on right now.”
Turner averaged 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game last season for the Pacers on 48.1/39.6/77.3 shooting splits, and was a key piece of the Pacers spread out, up-tempo attack that helped them to the Finals. Milwaukee will likely look to similarly push the tempo offensively, led by Antetokounmpo, and Turner should fit snugly into the role formerly occupied by Lopez — and give Milwaukee a refreshed runway through Giannis’ prime years.
To do so, they had to make a difficult decision on Lillard, who had two years left on his max deal and was going to miss all of next season. Waiving and stretching Lillard (at just over $22.5 million per year) allowed the Bucks to create the space needed to sign Turner in an incredibly aggressive move from GM Jon Horst to upgrade the roster.
The next step for the Bucks will be identifying a point guard of the future, but while it’s not clear who they will pursue, they have shown they are willing to push the chips in at every turn to give Antetokounmpo the best chance to contend in Milwaukee. Some of those deals have worked out wonderfully, as the Jrue Holiday trade helped the Bucks win a title, but as we saw with the Lillard addition, they don’t always pan out as intended.
The Lillard-Antetokounmpo era in Milwaukee never truly got an opportunity to show what they could do at full strength, as injuries to both of the stars doomed postseason runs in their two years together. However, the apparent fit on paper between the two never quite materialized on the floor even when they were healthy in the regular season, and the Bucks have opted to move on and allow Lillard, who turns 35 later this month, to find a new home for what figures to be the final chapter of his career.
The Heat will undoubtedly be connected to Lillard as a potential landing spot, as they were the preferred destination for Lillard when he requested a trade from Portland two years ago. Miami has been desperately searching for another star this summer, chasing Kevin Durant and being linked to Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade interest, but now they could pursue Lillard with an eye on the 2026-27 season at a lower salary number since he’ll be collecting a paycheck from the Bucks for the next five years.
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