It wasn't the fairytale ending that the Bucks, or Damian Lillard, imagined when this all began.
A player expected to form a lethal duo with Giannis Antetokounmpo and lead Milwaukee back to the promised land fell far short of lofty expectations.
The All-Star guard was waived by the Bucks on Tuesday after suffering a torn Achilles that will sideline him for the upcoming season. The remaining two years and $113 million on his contract will be spread across the next five years of Milwaukee's books.
The Bucks used the money they cleared from Lillard's contract to sign Myles Turner but new reports claim there was another reason the guard was waived.
NBA insider Chris Haynes reported Tuesday night that Lillard wanted to rehab from his Achilles injury in Portland near his family. According to Haynes, Milwaukee was not pleased by the decision.
"Aaron Goodwin, Damian Lillard's agent about a month ago reached out to the Bucks and informed them that Dame would like to rehab back home in Portland and stay with his kids...and I was told that some people within the Bucks did not approve of that," Haynes said on NBA TV.
He continued to say it might have "gotten the ball rolling" for Milwaukee to make the decision to move on from the injured Lillard.
"He was surprised..[The Bucks] did not tell Dame that this was coming...I was told that Dame found out about his situation just like everybody else found out."
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 1, 2025
— Chris Haynes on Damian Lillard. 😳
(h/t @ClutchPoints)
pic.twitter.com/3PVeMqoUCH
It's clear Dame's decision to rehab in Portland wasn't the only factor in this move but it didn't help the situation.
In the wake of the split, the Bucks will have to cobble together a backcourt and Lillard will look for a new team to join once his rehab is complete.
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