Could another longtime NBA superstar soon join the Warriors?
Golden State, which, at the time of this writing, has yet to make a move in NBA free agency, could add a future Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer to the mix, but there’s a catch.
Superstar point guard Damian Lillard, who shockingly was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks in a short-term cost-cutting move Tuesday, is receiving interest from a handful of NBA teams, including the Warriors.
Lillard received calls from Golden State, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, who are among the many teams that would be interested in signing Lillard sooner rather than later, The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Eric Nehm and Joe Vardon reported in a story Wednesday, citing league sources.
The catch is that the 34-year-old Lillard suffered a devastating torn left Achilles in Game 4 of the Bucks’ first-round playoff series on April 28 and likely will be sidelined most, if not all, of the 2025-26 NBA season.
After waiving Lillard, the Bucks now will take the two years and $113 million he had left on his contract and stretch it out over the next five in order to create immediate cap space, which they since have used to reportedly come to an agreement with free-agent center Myles Turner.
That means, with the Bucks set to pay the remainder of Lillard’s contract, approximately $22.5 million in each of the next five seasons, the veteran guard can sign with a team for a minimum-salary contract ($3.6 million) as he continues to rehab before eventually returning to the court, either at the end of next season or in the following season.
“The question is whether [Lillard] wants to sign with a team now and rehabilitate while under their care or wait until next summer to reassess the situation,” Amick, Nehm and Vardon wrote. “The Bucks, who will have to operate with Lillard’s money clogging their books for the next five seasons, are banking on this latest roll of the dice paying off.”
Lillard was limited to 58 games during the 2024-25 regular season, but averaged 24.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game on 44.8-percent shooting from the field and 37.6 percent from 3-point range as the second scoring option to superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The nine-time NBA All-Star grew up in Oakland, and after competing against the Warriors for years while a member of the Portland Trail Blazers, might it be time for the Bay Area native to return home?
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