Giannis Antetokounmpo Stunned Amid Bucks’ Free-Agency Moves

Milwaukee, a first-round playoff loser for three straight years, waived star guard Damian Lillard and signed former Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner.

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks during a playoff game against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis on April 29, 2025. Justin Casterline/Getty Images

Milwaukee Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had loads to process on July 1 when his team made multiple stunning moves during the second day of NBA free agency.

Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP, has been the subject of trade speculation this offseason since his team hasn’t been winning at the level he would like. The Bucks fell in the first round of the NBA playoffs for a third straight year after winning a championship in 2021. Since free agency tipped off on Monday, the Bucks have been one of the busiest teams in the league.

First, center Brook Lopez walked in free agency. Lopez signed a two-year, $18 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, according to ESPN.

Antetokounmpo showed support via social media on Tuesday for Lopez having his jersey number retired someday. Lopez averaged 12 points, five rebounds, 1.9 blocks, and 1.8 assists per game last season for the Bucks, and he was part of the title team in 2021.

Antetokounmpo also posted a photo of Lopez from the championship celebration on Tuesday morning with the comment, “I don’t know what’s going on right now, man” amid the Bucks’ moves. Milwaukee’s wild day had just started.

Bucks Waive One, Trade Away Another

The Bucks waived star guard Damian Lillard, 34, and signed free agent and former Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million contract according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The Bucks will stretch the remaining $113 million of Lillard’s contract over five years to help afford Turner, which means Milwaukee will have $22 million on the books for each of the next five years.

Milwaukee then traded guard Pat Connaughton to the Charlotte Hornets for guard Vasilije Micić per Charania. The Bucks also gave up 2031 and 2032 second-round draft picks in the trade.

Milwaukee also re-signed free agent center Jericho Sims on Tuesday per Charania. Sims averaged 2.4 points and 4.9 rebounds in 15 minutes per game last season for the Bucks.

That move gives the Bucks ample depth at center with Turner, Bobby Portis, and Chris Livingston. Meanwhile, the Bucks made a potential improvement at guard with Micić, who had just returned to the Hornets.

The Phoenix Suns traded him back to Charlotte during the draft, the team he started with last season. Between the two teams, Micić posted 6.6  points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. That’s statistically an upgrade over Connaughton, who averaged 5.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game last season.

However, Connaughton spent the past seven seasons with the Bucks, including the title run in 2021. Besides losing the veteran presence of Connaughton, the Bucks also lost their best guard in Lillard.

During the playoffs, Lillard tore his Achilles in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Pacers, and he will likely miss all of the 2025-206 season. He already had an injury-riddled season with a deep vein thrombosis, a blood clot, that caused him to miss 14 games.

Lillard had an otherwise strong season with 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game during the regular season, which was good for 10th in the league for both categories. The Bucks originally obtained Lillard in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers before the 2023-2024 season.

Turner Leaving Pacers Turns Heads

While Milwaukee gets a boost in Turner, it was a significant move for the Pacers to let a key player go after an NBA Finals run.

Turner averaged 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, two blocks, and 1.5 assists in 72 regular season games, and his postseason numbers were comparable: 13.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, two blocks, and 1.4 assists per game.

Indiana ultimately let Turner walk since the organization opted not to pay the luxury tax, a penalty an NBA team pays to keep key players despite going over the salary cap. The Pacers, who made deep playoff runs the past two seasons, faced a financial conundrum after the season since star guard Tyrese Haliburton went down with an Achilles injury in Game 7 of the finals in June, which didn’t help the Pacers’ ability to finance multiple star players.