The NBA world was left shell-shocked in an hour. Or, the easier version: Welcome to free agency. The Milwaukee Bucks, facing the threat of their MVP and arguably greatest player in franchise history, Giannis Antetokounmpo, leaving, went for a few desperate moves one after the other.
The first was waiving their superstar point guard, Damian Lillard, as he recovers from a torn Achilles, in favor of signing star big man Myles Turner. However, as it turns out, the move might blow up in their face, with reports emerging about Antetokounmpo’s displeasure at their decision.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Not on Board With Milwaukee Bucks Moves
A former Defensive Player of the Year, Antetokounmpo brought the city of Milwaukee its first championship in half a century back in 2021. However, with diminishing returns in the seasons since, his tenure with the Bucks was in jeopardy.
In a last-ditch effort to keep him on board, Milwaukee tried to go in a win-now direction by waiving Lillard. Stretching the $113 million left on his contract over five years ($22.5 million annually), the Bucks were ready to bring on Turner with a four-year, $107 million contract.
While he posted a picture with the caption, “I don’t know what’s going on right now, man,” Antetokounmpo’s disposition might not be as carefree as the post suggests. Senior NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that he was not on board with Milwaukee’s decision.
Taking to X, Haynes had breaking news that read, “BREAKING: Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is not pleased with the team’s decision to waive Damian Lillard, league sources tell me.”
BREAKING: Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is not pleased with the team’s decision to waive Damian Lillard, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/NGqJIWRQeq
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 1, 2025
If that turns out to be the case, then the rumors of Antetokounmpo wanting out might become even stronger in the coming weeks. However, there is one additional wrinkle to this, as reported by Shams Charania.
In his breakdown of the wild free agency for the Bucks, Charania wrote, “Turner and Antetokounmpo both valued the opportunity to partner together on the court during the process, sources told ESPN.”
In that scenario, there might be more than what meets the eye with the former NBA Finals MVP. However, it has made what has already been an exciting free agency into one of the wildest rides in recent memory.
What’s Next for Lillard and Turner
On the Lillard front, it now leaves the superstar point guard without a home as he recovers from a torn Achilles suffered in Game 4 of the Bucks-Pacers first-round series in the 2025 NBA playoffs. It remains to be seen what his market looks like and if teams wait a year before signing him.
For Turner, it has been a wild couple of weeks. After playing a featured role on the Indiana Pacers squad that made it to the NBA Finals and stretched it to Game 7, Turner wanted to return to the franchise he had spent a decade with.
However, the Pacers weren’t willing to meet his salary demands as they remained averse to a heavy tax, leading to the Bucks swooping in and stealing the star big man away from their divisional rivals.
With the future of Antetokounmpo in the air even more than before, it’ll be interesting to monitor how the rest of free agency goes for Cream City.
