Damian Lillard is confident in his abilities as the free agent ponders his options after the Milwaukee Bucks waived the nine-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA player on Tuesday.

NBA insider Chris Haynes detailed the apparently strained relationship between Lillard and Milwaukee this week. "I was informed that Aaron Goodwin, Damian Lillard's agent, about a month ago, reached out to the Bucks and informed them that Dame would like to rehab back home in Portland.

Saturday afternoon, in a move first reported by The Athletic, the Philadelphia 76ers tendered Quentin Grimes an $8.7 million qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent. That will allow Philadelphia to match any offer Grimes gets on the open free-agent market.

NBA free agency officially kicked off on Monday evening as the negotiating window opened for eligible players and all teams across the league at 6 p.m. ET. Monday night was relatively quiet, but the first stunners of the new league year came Tuesday morning.