The Milwaukee Bucks waived-and-stretched guard Damian Lillard on Tuesday in an effort to free up cap space to sign center Myles Turner, and several high-profile teams are reportedly interested in signing the nine-time All-Star.

Heat, Celtics, Lakers Want Damian Lillard

Lillard, who turns 35 on July 16, is now set to become a free agent this offseason. The Miami Heat were the first team linked to the 13-year veteran, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

The former first-rounder is expected to miss most, if not all, of the upcoming season after tearing his left Achilles against the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of Milwaukee’s 2025 first-round playoff series.

Other teams have now reportedly expressed interest in Lillard.

Per The Athletic’s Eric Nehm, Sam Amick, and Joe Vardon, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics are joining the Heat in their pursuit to add Lillard “sooner rather than later.”

Celtics Shed Themselves Of Two Major Contracts

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Celtics trimmed more than $200 million off their luxury tax bill by trading Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers and Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks.

Before the Deandre Ayton deal, the Lakers were $67.3 million over the cap and had $19.7 million in first apron space and $31.6 million in second apron space, per Spotrac.

Moving on from Lillard was the best way to create enough cap space to give Turner a four-year, $107 million contract in free agency, while ensuring the return of veteran players like Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis.

Milwaukee waived Lillard using the stretch provision on the remaining $113 million on his contract. The Bucks will be paying him $22.5 million for each of the next five years, which also counts against their cap.

Warriors Have Contacted Lillard

ESPN’s Marc J. Spears said on Tuesday the Golden State Warriors have also reached out to Lillard after he was waived by the Bucks. But adding the veteran guard could be easier said than done.

The Warriors are $17 million under the tax, but they are also waiting for a resolution to Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency after they tendered him a $7.9 million qualifying offer over the weekend.

Regardless of where Lillard ends up, the seven-time All-NBA member will be more affordable this time around. League executives are probably questioning at this stage of his career if he’ll ever be able to play at a superstar level again, given his age and latest Achilles tear.

In addition, Lillard was sidelined indefinitely last season due to deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. He was prescribed blood-thinning medication, which helped stabilize the blood clot.

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