The Milwaukee Bucks are not in the LeBron James sweepstakes, but they’re still feeling the ripple effect.
Until James decides where he wants to play next, a chunk of the NBA’s free-agent market appears frozen. According to insider Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, one trusted source believes eight or nine free agents - maybe even more - could move quickly once James makes his call. For Milwaukee, that could mean the Bucks are waiting on one of those names before they can finish shaping the roster.
That’s the strange reality of the moment: a 41-year-old free agent has the league in limbo. Teams are holding off because they don’t want to commit before they know whether James is an option. Free agents are waiting too, understanding that some of them are backup plans if a club misses out on the forward.
Jonathan Kuminga is one of the players caught in the hold-up. He’s a sign-and-trade candidate, and while the Atlanta Hawks are not in the James picture, the Cleveland Cavaliers are. As Stein and Fischer noted, Kuminga is likely a fallback option for Cleveland if their James pursuit comes up short.
Peyton Watson is in a similar spot. The Denver Nuggets would like to have him back, but they’ve also been linked to James. That means they may not want to lock in long-term money for Watson until they know where things stand with James.
And it’s not just those two. Draymond Green, DeMar DeRozan, Bradley Beal, and James Harden are among the more prominent names still waiting for clarity.
For the Bucks, the situation is less about James himself and more about what comes after. Milwaukee still has work to do.
The team has interest in Watson and Kuminga through sign-and-trade possibilities, but it also has more players on the books than it can keep. The Bucks need to get down to 15 standard contracts, and that could require salary dumps.
For now, though, they’re stuck waiting.
Even Adam Silver has said he needs James to make a decision so the league can finalize a schedule. That’s where things stand across the NBA: everyone is waiting, and James is the one who has to blink first. Until he does, the Bucks and the rest of the league can only keep their plans on hold.
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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 🡒]
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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 🡒]