The Bucks’ offseason has already produced one contract that got people talking, and now there’s a little more texture behind it. ESPN’s Shams Charania said on the Shump Street with Iman Shumpert podcast that another team was “poking around” a possible sign-and-trade for Gary Trent Jr. at “around the same number” as Milwaukee’s reported four-year, $64MM deal.
That detail adds another layer to the conversation around Trent’s contract, though the Bucks’ arrangement is expected to be fully guaranteed. That matters.
A rival team exploring Trent in a sign-and-trade may not have been looking at the same kind of commitment, especially for a veteran wing coming off one of the worst seasons of his career. There’s also the possibility that any interested team was trying to shed an unwanted contract in the process.
Tyler Herro, meanwhile, is trying to put one of the strangest chapters of his summer behind him. In comments to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, the new Bucks guard said he wants to “move on” from the trade that sent him out of Miami and from the physical altercation he had with former Heat teammate Bam Adebayo in Las Vegas.
“Honestly, I’m just trying to move past all of it,” Herro told ESPN. “I’m focused on Milwaukee and building something special. They obviously just traded the greatest player in their history, so we want to come in and help continue what they’ve been doing.”
Shelburne reported that Herro said he’s excited to represent his hometown team and indicated that, if he had to play for any team other than the Heat, Milwaukee would have been his pick.
She also added more context on the Las Vegas incident, citing sources who said Herro was not knocked to the ground by Adebayo’s blow and had to be “restrained by others in the gym from responding physically.” Heat sources told ESPN that Adebayo and Herro had a strong relationship while they were in Miami, but that the bond had faded over the past year.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo is also moving on from Milwaukee. After six of the past seven seasons with the Bucks, he won’t be back for 2026/27. Emmett Prosser of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Antetokounmpo said goodbye to the team and the city in a clip from his “Thanalysis” podcast.
“I am grateful for everything from the bottom of my heart,” he said, addressing Milwaukee and Wisconsin. “Everything you gave to my family.”
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Eric Musselman spent enough time around Arkansas basketball to know when a player has real pro upside, and his read on Darius Acuff was as direct as it was encouraging. The former Razorbacks coach pointed to Acuffs scoring and playmaking as the foundation of his college career, the kind of offensive package that made him stand out from the start and kept him on the radar as an NBA prospect.
Musselman also zeroed in on the part of Acuffs game that had to catch up, noting that the guards defense took a noticeable step forward in postseason play. For a player whose offensive gifts were never really in doubt, that growth matters, and Musselman sounded confident it will keep going as Acuff settles into the next level and tries to carve out a role for Sacramento. [Read more 🡒]
Why Caden Kitler Could Define Arkansas Up Front In 2026
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Now the focus shifts to what comes next under new offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey and a reshaped staff, with Kitler set to be part of the programs SEC Media Days presence in Tampa. He has added weight this offseason and spent the spring and summer working on the basics that determine whether a center can hold up against the SECs biggest interior defenders, which is why Arkansas views his development as one of the quieter but more important storylines up front in 2026. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Just Made Its Boldest Offseason Bet Yet
Arkansas has spent the offseason making a clear statement about how it plans to climb back into the SEC picture, and the transfer portal has been the main vehicle for that reset. Heading into the 2026 season, six league programs with new head coaches have leaned hard on outside help to remake their rosters, but Arkansas has been the most aggressive of the group, bringing in more transfers than anyone else in the conference.
The Razorbacks are not alone in the scramble, with Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss and Kentucky all loading up as well, but the scale of Arkansas move stands out because of what it says about the urgency in Fayetteville. After a rough year and a coaching change, the program has chosen volume and immediate experience over patience, and the real question now is whether that kind of roster overhaul can turn into actual wins once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
