The Golden State Warriors have wasted no time exploring a potential move for Damian Lillard, with the 9x All-Star set to become an unrestricted free agent after the Milwaukee Bucks stunningly waived him on Tuesday in order to accomodate incoming center Myles Turner.
ESPN's Marc J. Spears is reporting the Warriors have been in touch with Lillard following news of Milwaukee's extraordinary decision, but they'll no doubt face fierce competition to secure the Oakland native.
The Warriors could be looking to bring Damian Lillard home
Bringing Lillard home to the Bay Area could be a dream scenario for Golden State, even despite the fact Lillard will miss a large chunk of next season as he recovers from a torn achilles injury.
Veteran trio Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green are all under contract for the next two years, with the potential of adding Lillard to that timeline as the franchise looks to win a fifth title in the last dozen years.
A two-year deal at any team would allow Lillard to focus on his rehab and make a potential push for the playoffs next season, while ensuring that the franchise would get a full year of the superstar guard in 2026-27.
Spears also reporting that the Warriors have been in touch on Dame. Spears adds Lillard will take his time but there's the possible lure of playing close tow here he grew up in the Bay area https://t.co/sdCi4CQ4hc
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) July 2, 2025
While Lillard's achilles injury means he won't see the floor for the foreseeable future, the risk of acquiring him is essentially mitigated when you're talking about signing him to a cheap contract at or just above the minimum.
Lillard will still get paid the remainder of the contract he was owed, with the Bucks now set to pay him over $22 million in each of the next five years in what's an unprecedented waive-and-stretch move by a team desperately hoping to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Lillard appeared in 58 games for the Bucks this past season, averaging 24.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists while shooting 44.8% from the floor and 37.6% from 3-point range. He was named an All-Star for the ninth time, having also made seven All-NBA teams throughout a decorated career.
Adding Lillard to Stephen Curry could create one of the most dynamic guard duos in NBA history, albeit there would be defensive concerns and the now prominent conversation surrounding the age of Golden State's core.
The Warriors would be able to retain Butler and Green in this scenario to form an intriguing veteran quartet. While their primary focus right now revolves around the future of restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, this Lillard development now becomes a huge storyline to follow in the wake of Tuesday's news.