“He said two things, which I love. The first one, he just said, ‘I can’t believe I’m here.’ Then the second one is ‘I’m not going out this way.’ I can guarantee you he won’t,” Doc Rivers had said with conviction back in April when Damian Lillard’s Achilles injury cast a shadow over his season. But as it turns out, that injury did mark the end of his Bucks stint. Though Lillard is far from finished—per Shams Charania, he “welcomed this change of scenery”—his exit from Milwaukee via the waive-and-stretch clause still stings. And if there’s one person who’ll feel that void the most, it’s Rivers, who made it clear just how much he valued Dame’s presence, even beyond the stat sheet.

While joining the NBA on ESPN crew during the Bucks-Nuggets Summer League clash, Doc Rivers didn’t dodge the emotional weight of losing Damian Lillard. Asked how a team regroups after such a tough departure, Rivers was honest yet grounded: “Well, you regroup. You know, obviously we’re signing Myles Turner. That’s a… the regroup part of it, but it’s still a human game, man.” For all the cold, calculated moves in today’s NBA, Rivers reminded everyone that behind every transaction, there are real people, real bonds, and real emotions that don’t just vanish when the business side takes over.

“You know, it’s funny. Um, Dame was he’s just a great dude. Forget the basketball part. Uh he’s done everything right throughout his career. Uh he’s done everything that you a — franchise can ask for a guy in if you’re trying to win. So, he did all the good stuff, you know, for us. And so, you know, obviously we weren’t going to have him this year, uh, coming up with the injury, but you don’t just lose the player, you lose the person” said Rivers. “And so that’s a tough loss for your franchise when you lose that.”

Doc Rivers joined the Milwaukee Bucks only back in 2024. Therefore, he and Damian Lillard got the chance to work together for only 1 full season. However, even that timeframe was good enough to form a bond between the two based on mutual respect. According to reports, Rivers, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo, were visibly shaken after Damian Lillard sustained his Achilles injury. Despite having trained several players throughout his 26-year-long NBA coaching career, that injury hit different.

“This is a tough one, honestly. Blood clot, followed by this. It’s just tough. That’s why you have teammates and family around him. He’s just a great freakin’ dude, like on the basketball level but more importantly as a teammate and a father and all that stuff” said Rivers back then. “No one deserves it. You just look at him, so that’s why I feel bad. It’s just tough.” Lillard himself has stood up for the coach from time to time. After the Bucks had a poor 19-26 start to the season, several fans began to call for Rivers’ firing. Lillard defended the coach by taking to Instagram and posting “Absolutely not”.

Now, these two NBA stars will have to manage without the support of each other. Who knows, even if the 9x NBA All-Star does not have Doc Rivers, perhaps he can find the same support from JJ Redick!

Will Damian Lillard be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers?

SB Nation reporter Ricky O’Donnell recently released his NBA free agency predictions for the 12 best available players on the 2025 market. According to him, Damian Lillard could be acquired by the Los Angeles Lakers! However, what he proposes would be a serious downgrade, as heading to LA will only award the player a 2-year, $5 million contract. From a maximum veteran extension contract of 2 years, $112.583 million to $5 million is like hitting rock bottom for an NBA player. However, one might forget that, thanks to the buyout, the $113 million left on his contract would be paid to Lillard over the next five years. Therefore, he can willingly take a low-paying contract from the Lakers, further ensuring that the team does not get affected too much by the troubles brought up by a high salary cap.

If acquiring Damian Lillard won’t do anything else for the Lakers, it will at least ensure LeBron James plays for another year. The question of whether the 40-year-old will remain with the Lakers or not has continued to be asked ever since his agent, Rich Paul, revealed LeBron would be willing to switch teams if the Lakers don’t build a roster that wins him a championship in the coming season. With the Lakers focused on building a long-term roster around Luka Doncic, this is a dilemma. A dilemma that could be somewhat solved by bringing in a star scorer like Damian Lillard. “This is the hardest one to peg with Lillard out all season as he recovers from an Achilles tear. Let’s go Lakers to make all of those wild Photoshops come true a few years too late,” said O’Donnell.

Sure, sharing the offensive firepower between LeBron, Luka, and Lillard would be a major task. However, just imagine how strong the offense will become! For now, the NBA world is the former Bucks star’s oyster. With a minimum contract, any team can approach him with an offer. Whether Rob Pelinka and co can make him a more enticing offer is something that remains to be seen.