Just when it felt like this offseason couldn’t get any more surprising, news came down that the Milwaukee Bucks were waiving and stretching the contract of All-Star point guard Damian Lillard. This was a move that absolutely no one saw coming and, of course, there are going to be questions about whether there is a possibility of him joining the Los Angeles Lakers.
The most important thing to remember is that Lillard tore his Achilles during the 2025 playoffs and thus, likely won’t be suiting up this upcoming season. At 34 years old and undersized while coming off an injury of that nature, there are sure to be concerns about whether he will be able to approach the level he was at that put him on the NBA’s 75 Greatest Players list, but there is sure to be plenty of interest around the league.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Lillard has received calls from a number of contending teams in the immediate aftermath of his release:
League sources say Damian Lillard is elated with the Bucks’ decision to waive and stretch his contract, as it puts him in the kind of basketball-first position that few All-Star level players, if any, have experienced in league history. In short, he’ll be able to join the contending team of his choosing, either sometime soon or perhaps next summer, without the financial aspect of the decision playing a significant part.
With Lillard owed $54.1 million for this coming season and $58.4 million in the 2026-27 campaign, there is a salary offset for any team that acquires him during that two-year period. And while the Bucks would surely prefer that Lillard sign for a significant salary as a way to alleviate some of their financial burden, the reality is that he could sign for a minimum-salary deal and still be paid the same amount. That’s a powerful place to be when you’re a future Hall of Famer in your mid-30s who has never won a championship.
Not surprisingly, league sources say Lillard received calls from several contending teams very quickly after the news of his Bucks’ ending broke. The question now is whether he wants to sign with a team now and rehabilitate while under their care or wait until next summer to reassess the situation.
The Bucks waived Lillard in order to open up cap space for the signing of Myles Turner, which shocked the rest of the league. With him being waived and stretched though, it makes sense that a lot of teams will have interest in Lillard considering he could potentially sign a minimum contract. Whatever he signs on his next deal will be subtracted from what Milwaukee owes him, so there is no real reason to sign for more and limit his new team’s flexibility.
Whether the Lakers were one of those teams to reach out is unclear, but the franchise has long had interest in Lillard for many years and perhaps this is an opportunity to bring him in at a much cheaper number than would otherwise be possible. The fact that Lillard is known to have been frustrated at living away from his family on the West Coast could also play in the Lakers’ favor.
There are a number of factors to consider with Lillard, most notably that he might not sign with any team this offseason and just choose to rehab his Achilles on his own and find an ideal landing spot next year when the landscape could be much different. His fit with Lakers superstar Luka Doncic would also seem to be a questionable one, but the Lakers are in the market for someone to pair with Doncic and Lillard could be an option to ponder.
Lakers prioritizing future salary cap flexibility for max contract player
While the Lakers are always trying to compete for a championship, the team is also focused on the future and are reportedly prioritizing future salary cap flexibility in order to make a run at a max contract player in 2027.
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