No one saw these moves coming, but the Milwaukee Bucks must've felt they had no choice.
If they can't keep Giannis Antetokounmpo happy, and he requests a trade, the franchise's future is in shambles. So the Bucks did the unexpected and the unthinkable in tandem with one another on Tuesday morning.
First, news emerged that the Bucks were signing center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million deal in free agency from the Indiana Pacers. The expectation was that Turner would go back to Indiana, but instead he's heading to Milwaukee.
And to make Turner's contract fit, the Bucks waived Damian Lillard. Yeah, the future Hall of Fame guard has been discarded after tearing his Achilles in the playoffs.
Both moves are wild.
Turner is a great addition, a direct replacement for Brook Lopez (who signed with the Clippers).
Lillard hadn't delivered in quite the way the Bucks hoped when they traded for him to pair with Antetokounmpo. But just as he had done in Portland, he had endeared himself to the Milwaukee faithful with his play style, energy and belief.
Now, Turner is in and Lillard is out.
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There are NBA-wide implications here, but the focus is on Milwaukee.
Is this enough for Giannis?
Will he be happy to have Turner as his teammate, happy enough that he isn't bothered by the dismissal of Lillard?
If Antetokounmpo's relationship with Lillard was underestimated, this could be a disaster.
Antetokounmpo posted on social media: "I don't know what's going on right now."
Nobody does.
But now the ball is in Antetokounmpo's court. Does he want a trade? Or does he want to stick with the Milwaukee team that drafted him when he was an 18-year old skinny kid from Greece?
Both paths have merit. The Bucks just made their side look a lot different in short order. And they're just hoping it's somehow enough to keep Giannis.
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