The Golden State Warriors have already been linked to a move for Damian Lillard after the Milwaukee Bucks made the unprecedented decision to waive the 9x All-Star on Tuesday despite still having over $110 million remaining on his contract.
Eyebrows were raised when reports surfaced of the Bucks plan to sign free agent big man Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million contract, before confirmation that the franchise would waive-and-stretch Lillard's deal to accomodate their new starting center.
The 34-year-old is currently recovering from a torn achilles that will see him miss most of next season, but that won't stop teams from garnering interest in Lillard who now has free range to pick his next destination.
ESPN's Marc J. Spears reported on Tuesday that the Warriors have been in touch with Lillard following Milwaukee's stunning decision. His Bay Area roots as an Oakland native and big Golden State fan as a kid makes for an obvious potential factor, yet there's another trump card the franchise has that could see them win the Lillard sweepstakes.
Warriors assistant Terry Stotts was Lillard's long-time coach in Portland
Lillard spent the first nine years of his career under head coach Terry Stotts at the Portland Trail Blazers, developing a strong relationship together which included a run to the 2019 Western Conference Finals where they lost to Golden State.
Stotts is now an assistant to Steve Kerr at the Warriors, joining last offseason and taking control of the offensive side of the floor. If the Warriors are truly interesting in pairing Lillard with Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, there's little doubt that a pitch to return home to the Bay would be accompanied by the idea of working with Stotts again.
Come back to the Bay Area and hang out with his guy Terry Stotts for a little bit?
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) July 1, 2025
/I know nothing. I doubt this happens. But the thought did strike me--if Lillard would be OK with a vet minimum & GSWs have a roster spot & aren't hard-capped. https://t.co/R93DWA29bj
Stotts and the Warriors could certainly do with Lillard's firepower to help out a below average offense last season. Golden State ranked 16th on that end of the floor, largely relying on their defense to surge up into a playoff spot where their offensive struggles proved fatal in the second-round following Stephen Curry's hamstring injury.
While it remains to be seen how Lillard will return from his achilles injury, a near-healthy version of him would likely leapfrog Butler as the Warriors' second scorer and create one of the greatest shooting back courts of all-time with he and Curry.
Lillard averaged 24.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists in what's becoming his final season with the Bucks, shooting 44.8% from the floor and 37.6% from 3-point range on nine attempts per game.
In nine years together playing under Stotts, Lillard won Rookie of the Year, was an All-Star on six occasions, was All-NBA six times, and finished top eight in MVP voting in five seperate seasons.