The Milwaukee Bucks have one of those roster puzzles that can turn a summer into a headache fast: too many guards, not enough clean ways to move them. And in the middle of it all sits AJ Green, a player who looks useful enough to keep, valuable enough to move, and flexible enough to matter in whatever the Bucks do next.
Milwaukee’s backcourt is crowded with Tyler Herro, Ryan Rollins, Brayden Burries, Kevin Porter Jr., AJ Green, Gary Trent Jr., Caris LeVert and Kasparas Jakucionis all on the payroll. That’s a lot of bodies for one position group, and the obvious place to start trimming is the guard room. The catch is that the Bucks are also dealing with aggregation issues, since several of those players can only be traded on their own rather than bundled together.
Herro, LeVert and Jakucionis fall into that category, along with Kel’el Ware and Jaime Jaquez Jr. So while it might make more sense on paper to move LeVert than Green, the market doesn’t always follow the neatest logic.
Green simply carries more value right now. He’s coming off a strong season and has established himself as one of the NBA’s best shooters.
That doesn’t mean Milwaukee should be eager to ship him out just to clear space. Green, who is set to make $10 million this season, has gone from undrafted guard to legitimate rotation piece, and that kind of shooting doesn’t come around often. He’s earned a real place in the league.
Still, the Bucks may have to consider him anyway if the right deal comes together. On his own, Green probably doesn’t bring back a major piece. But if Milwaukee paired him with Kyle Kuzma and/or Myles Turner, it could open the door to something bigger while also easing the congestion in the backcourt.
There’s also the Peyton Watson angle. The Bucks are among the teams chasing the free agent, and a sign-and-trade could be in play. In that kind of setup, Green would almost certainly be one of the names sent to the Nuggets.
Nothing is settled yet. Green could end up spending his whole career in Milwaukee. But with the Bucks still working the phones, his name has to be part of the conversation.
In Other News...
Kyle Kuzma Lands In Another Viral Controversy Bucks Fans Will Notice
Kyle Kuzma has never been shy about jumping into the conversation online, and the Milwaukee forward found himself in the middle of another one after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted a video criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over deaths in the region. Kuzma pushed back on social media, taking aim at Mamdanis tone and suggesting that symbolic posts do not amount to meaningful action, which was enough to set off the usual wave of reaction that follows anything this public and this political.
The exchange quickly split opinion, with Mamdani supporters defending both the video and the mayors early moves in office, including revoking pro-Israel executive orders shortly after taking over. For Bucks fans, it is another reminder that Kuzmas profile extends well beyond the floor, and that when he weighs in on a hot-button issue, the ripple effects tend to reach far past one post and into a much bigger debate. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Just Got Hit With Another Brutal Preseason Disrespect Spot
Milwaukees preseason buzz took another hit when Bleacher Reports Greg Swartz sized up the Bucks projected starting group and slotted it at the bottom of the league conversation. The lineup he used for the exercise featured Ryan Rollins, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kyle Kuzma and Myles Turner, a mix that still has plenty of moving parts and plenty to prove before it ever takes the floor together in a real game.
The skepticism centered on how the pieces fit, especially in the frontcourt, where the combination of Kuzma and Jaquez leaves questions about spacing and whether the group can mesh cleanly on both ends. Turner also comes with his own bounce-back case after a rough season, and the Bucks are banking on a fresh environment to help him find a higher level again, but for now the outside view is clear: this is a lineup being asked to earn respect the hard way once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
This Bucks Player May Decide How Painful The Rebuild Gets
Kelel Ware arrives in Milwaukee with the kind of profile that can make a rebuild feel either manageable or miserable. Through his first two NBA seasons with the Miami Heat, the big man flashed enough potential to suggest there is real upside here, and the Bucks are betting that his size and athletic tools can translate into a bigger, more useful role as they reshape the roster around a new reality.
What makes Ware so intriguing is that the ceiling still looks higher than the floor. His development will hinge on the unglamorous stuff as much as the talent, especially on defense, where positioning, timing and awareness all need sharpening, along with a steadier motor. If he takes a real step, Milwaukee may have found a player who can help keep the team competitive sooner than expected, but if he stalls, the pain of this transition only gets harder to hide. [Read more 🡒]