The Bucks’ small forward spot could come down to one name: Jonathan Kuminga.
Milwaukee has plenty to sort through as Taylor Jenkins builds his first starting lineup, but the wing is the most interesting puzzle piece. Jaime Jaquez Jr. looks like the early leader for that job, yet a Kuminga addition would almost certainly change the conversation fast.
Jaquez just wrapped his third NBA season and finished second in last year’s Sixth Man of the Year voting. That kind of production makes him a natural fit for a reserve role, and it also gives the Bucks a real choice to make: keep him in the second unit, where he has already shown he can thrive, or push him into a full-time starting role and give him the biggest opportunity of his young career.
Kuminga would likely tilt that decision in his favor. If Milwaukee lands him, the pitch probably centers on one thing above all else: a starting spot. He has never had a consistently major role, and the Bucks could offer him exactly that while keeping Jaquez in the kind of bench role that has made him such a reliable spark.
On paper, the pairing makes sense. Kuminga brings elite athleticism, transition scoring, and relentless work on the glass.
Jaquez, meanwhile, can steady the second unit with scoring, rebounding, and playmaking when Kuminga sits. For a team that has spent years looking for dependable wing help, that kind of one-two punch would be a major boost.
But Milwaukee still has to get Kuminga first, and that won’t be simple. The revamped Los Angeles Lakers are among the teams chasing him, and they have a real chance to land him too. Still, if Kuminga wants a starting role and a strong paycheck, Milwaukee may be one of the best fits on the board.
For now, though, Jaquez remains the likeliest candidate to start at the three next season. He’s on an expiring contract and looking ahead to a payday next summer, so a bigger role could be exactly what helps him cash in later.
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Bucks May Already Have A Kuminga Backup Plan In Place
The Bucks are still weighing their offseason options on the wing, and Jonathan Kuminga remains one of the more intriguing names on their radar. Milwaukee likes the idea of adding a forward with his athletic upside, but the front office is also keeping an eye on a different path that could give the roster some of the same long-term benefits without the same level of cost or uncertainty.
Nate Ament has emerged as that alternative, a younger forward whose college season flashed enough promise to make him look like more than a fallback. If Milwaukee ends up with both players, the fit could be even more interesting, with Ament developing alongside Kuminga and eventually learning from him in a rotation that could give the Bucks a lot of size and versatility on the perimeter. [Read more 🡒]
Former Bucks Wing Just Took A Turn Milwaukee Fans Saw Coming
Amir Coffeys time in Milwaukee never really got off the ground, and the Bucks moved on quickly after a brief look at what he could offer on the wing. He appeared in 30 games for the team, played a limited role, and was eventually shipped to Phoenix as Milwaukee kept reshaping the back end of its roster.
Coffeys next stop says plenty about how his market has shifted since then, and it also underscores how far the Bucks have come in addressing that part of the roster. Milwaukee has added more options on the wing through other moves, so the departure of a player who never found much traction here no longer looks like much of a hole. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Just Revealed What Finally Pushed The Giannis Trade Through
The Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo deal with Miami was never just about one headline name coming back. General manager Jon Horst said the package that brought Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kelel Ware and Kasparas Jakucionis to Milwaukee was intentional, and that all four players were part of what made the trade work. For a Bucks team retooling around a franchise-altering move, that kind of insistence matters, because it shows the front office did not see this as a simple star swap but as a broader attempt to restock the roster with pieces that fit different timelines.
Jakucionis, in particular, drew Horsts praise as a competitive, hard-working young guard with real point guard traits and shooting ability. That kind of language usually says as much about how a team views its future backcourt as it does about one players immediate role, and it hints at why Milwaukee was willing to hold firm in negotiations. The Bucks still have plenty to sort out after landing Giannis replacement era on paper, but the way Horst framed the return suggests the front office believes there is more here than just a collection of names. [Read more 🡒]