It’s all connected.
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Damian Lillard tore his Achilles early in the playoffs. Indiana Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
And now, in an unexpected sequence of events on July 1, those moments are linked forever.
On what had been an otherwise sleepy Tuesday morning after NBA free agency opened the night before, ESPN’s Shams Charnia stepped into the scene with some serious breaking news.
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First: Pacers center Myles Turner was departing in free agency for a four-year, $107 million contract with the Bucks.
Then: To fit Turner, the Bucks were stretching-and-waiving Lillard’s remaining $113 million contract.
Now here’s how this all connects:
- Lillard’s injury jeopardized the Bucks’ future with Giannis Antetokounmpo, and they needed to add another star to try and make up for that
- Because of Lillard’s contract but unavailability, the Bucks could only add another star by getting rid of Lillard
- Indiana didn’t want to pay Turner full value because, without Haliburton, they felt it wasn’t worth it for 2025-26
- So Turner was available for the Bucks
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In all seriousness, if one of Lillard or Haliburton had ended the season with no torn Achilles, these moves wouldn’t have happened on Tuesday.
The future of the NBA has turned time and again in the aftermath of injuries, and these are the latest.
Now, the league holds its breath to see if Giannis Antetokounmpo is happy, or if he requests a trade. Because if Giannis wants out, it’s even another layer to this crazy linkage between Achilles tears.
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