The Milwaukee Bucks are heading into a new era, but the early buzz around that reset has been rough.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is gone, sent to the Miami Heat this offseason, and Milwaukee is left trying to rebuild around a younger roster and a handful of intriguing pieces. That part was always going to be painful. What’s making the picture look even bleaker is how little optimism has followed the move.
ESPN’s Ben Golliver summed up the mood in a Thursday piece looking at what has been learned about all 30 NBA teams this offseason. His line on Milwaukee was blunt: "The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade was only the beginning of Milwaukee's pain."
Golliver pointed to the Bucks’ contract situation as a major reason for the concern. Milwaukee did manage to attach Bobby Portis' three-year, $44 million deal to the Heat trade, but it still hasn’t found a taker for Myles Turner’s four-year, $107 million contract, which he signed a season ago.
He also labeled the decision to bring back Gary Trent Jr. on a four-year, $64 million contract as "The really bad news" after what he described as one of the worst seasons of Trent’s career, a season the NBA is currently investigating.
The offseason has not been short on other complications, either. Golliver also noted the physical altercation between new Bucks player Tyler Herro and Miami center Bam Adebayo during the Las Vegas Summer League.
On the rookie front, his read was mixed. Nate Ament, in his view, "looked very young and raw in summer league."
Brayden Burries, though, gave Milwaukee something to hang onto after earning All-Summer League First Team honors. He averaged 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
The Bucks also made a coaching change, moving on from Doc Rivers after he went 97-103 in three seasons and replacing him with Taylor Jenkins from the Memphis Grizzlies. Even with that shift, Golliver closed his assessment with a harsh forecast: "Milwaukee appears headed for a very long and difficult turnaround."
Milwaukee did come away from the Antetokounmpo trade with multiple pieces that can help now and future draft picks. But around the league, the early read is still grim. Some power rankings already have the Bucks at the bottom, and the expectation for their first season without Antetokounmpo since 2012 is low.
There will be growing pains with a new coach and a new roster. Still, the Bucks do have a young core that could develop over the next few seasons, with Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware, Kasparas Jakučionis, Burries and Ament all part of that group.
In Other News...
Bucks Could Hold The Key To A Surprising Nuggets Trade
A trade exception sitting on Milwaukees books has suddenly become one of the more interesting pieces of cap machinery in the league. The Bucks still have the $25.4 million exception from the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, and that kind of flexibility can matter when another team needs to move money fast. In this case, Denvers salary situation has put the Nuggets in a spot where they may need to clear room and stay away from the second apron, which is the sort of pressure point that can create an unexpected deal partner.
For Milwaukee, the appeal is obvious: take on a useful veteran on an expiring deal and potentially get paid to do it with draft compensation attached. For Denver, the calculus is about preserving roster flexibility and keeping the door open for younger pieces such as Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones, even if it means attaching a second-round pick or two to make the numbers work. It is the kind of trade framework that does not always lead to a finished deal, but it does put the Bucks in the middle of a conversation that could shape both teams next move. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Fans Should Be Worried About Brayden Burries Next Hurdle
Brayden Burries made a strong impression in Summer League, flashing the kind of scoring and playmaking that can get a young guard noticed quickly. For Milwaukee, though, the next step is where the real test begins, because summer success does not always translate cleanly when a roster is already packed with established ballhandlers and creators.
The Bucks are staring at a trimming job before the regular season, and the backcourt looks like the most obvious place where the numbers and the minutes may not line up. If Milwaukee wants Burries to have a real path, it may have to clear space by moving some guards around, which is why his encouraging debut is already being weighed against a crowded reality. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks May Be Getting Squeezed Out Of A Crucial Offseason Target
A shifting offseason market is starting to complicate Milwaukees plans on the wing, with Jonathan Kuminga suddenly looking like a tougher prize to land. LeBron James signing with the Philadelphia 76ers has helped set off a chain reaction around the league, and Clevelands need at small forward could push the Cavaliers deeper into the mix for a player the Bucks have had in their sights as they try to keep building out the roster.
Milwaukee is not short on alternatives, at least on paper, with Peyton Watson and Bennedict Mathurin also mentioned as possible targets. Watson adds another layer of difficulty because he is a restricted free agent, which means Denver can match any offer, so the Bucks may have to decide whether to keep pressing on Kuminga or pivot before the market closes around them. [Read more 🡒]