Yesterday morning, the NBA community was shocked to learn that Myles Turner would be joining the Milwaukee Bucks on a four-year, $107 million contract, leaving the Indiana Pacers. Dang!, we said. You couldn?t believe he is going! The Pacers were expected to prioritize his return! Now Giannis Antetokounmpo is getting some unexpected help! Â
After that, we paused to consider how the Bucks could possibly afford Turner in the Bernie Madoff scenario. They lacked the contractual flexibility to sign someone like him outright, and Damian Lillard’s $54 million contract for the upcoming season despite being sidelined by an Achilles tear—was a major factor in everyone’s speculation that Giannis would eventually request a trade to a team with fewer injuries. The other shoe then fell.
The Bucks are “stretching” the last two years and the $113 million that is owed to Dame. What does that imply to him, the Bucks, and the money? Is this a wise decision? Will this work? Answering these questions and talking to myself makes me happy.
What does Damian Lillard’s waving and extending mean
He is not on the team. His money is guaranteed and still falls within the salary cap, even though they have effectively cut him. By “stretching” his money, the remaining amount on the contract is distributed over the following five seasons rather than the next two.
Is that clever
There is a risk. Over the next two seasons, Lillard was going to eat up a third of the cap. He was unlikely to be himself for a large portion of the second season, and he was not going to play one of those. Although the Bucks now have more options, Dame’s contract still entails dead money of roughly 15% of the cap for each of the following five seasons.
Now what does Dame do
Once he clears waivers, he then becomes a free agent. The 34 year old is not bound by any amount of pay per se; he is free to sign whichever where he wishes to. Nonetheless, he is yet to heal of this serious harm although healing normally takes a year or two.
With Turner now on the roster can the Bucks compete
It’s better now than it was. Turner, a more adaptable defender, takes Brook Lopez’s place. They probably won’t add anyone important, and they still lack a lead guard. Their goal is for Kevin Porter Jr. to turn the talent into reliability. Milwaukee may still lag behind clubs in the crowded East, including Cleveland, Orlando, New York, Boston (still), Detroit, a healthy Philadelphia, and possibly Atlanta these days.
