The Bucks’ reset has handed them something they haven’t had in a long time: room to breathe.
After the move away from title contention and the painful fallout of parting with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee suddenly finds itself with real flexibility to shape the roster instead of merely patching holes. According to NBA insider Michael Scotto, the Bucks now have access to the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception worth $15 million and a $25.5 million traded player exception.
That matters because it gives the front office options it has not enjoyed in years. Milwaukee has spent stretches boxed in by cap restrictions, including the Damian Lillard waive-and-stretch and even the long shadow of the Larry Sanders contract. Instead of being trapped in reaction mode, the Bucks can finally operate with some freedom.
The non-taxpayer mid-level exception gives them a way to chase rotation help, take a swing on a high-upside player, or add a useful piece without pushing past the apron. The traded player exception is even more valuable in certain deals, because it allows Jon Horst to absorb salary and help grease the wheels in multi-team trade scenarios.
That kind of flexibility is especially important now that the Bucks are building around a younger group that includes Brayden Burries and Nate Ament. They are no longer just trying to survive the cap sheet. They can actually use it.
And that’s where the rebuild gets interesting. It is not only about signing players who fit the next version of the team. It is also about taking on money other teams want to dump in exchange for draft assets or discounted talent.
Scotto has already reported that the Bucks are open to absorbing Zeke Nnaji’s contract in a potential deal for Peyton Watson. That would let Milwaukee avoid Denver’s steep price of two firsts for Watson while using its financial flexibility to protect the draft capital it wants to keep.
Kasparas Jakucionis is part of that next wave too, and the larger point is clear: Milwaukee now has the tools to play both sides of the market. Horst has draft capital, young players, and the cap room to take on unwanted contracts if the return makes sense.
For the first time in a while, the Bucks are not just stuck reacting to the league around them. They can go make something happen.
In Other News...
Jimmy Haslam Still Sounds Stunned By The Giannis Trade
Jimmy Haslam has had one of the most eventful summers of any owner in sports, and not just because of the Browns. The co-owner of Clevelands NFL team and the Bucks was part of two headline-grabbing deals, with Myles Garrett going to the Rams and Giannis Antetokounmpo landing with the Heat in separate trades that reshaped both franchises.
Haslam said the moves still left him in disbelief, and he even mentioned that his father was surprised by how it all unfolded. For Milwaukee, the Giannis deal remains the kind of franchise-altering moment that takes time to sink in, especially when it involves a player who defined an era and was sent out for a package of players and future draft picks. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Starting Lineup Could Look Very Different Around Giannis
Milwaukees offseason planning keeps circling back to the same question: what does the starting group look like next to Giannis Antetokounmpo if the Bucks decide to reshape the roster? The latest buzz points to three very different possibilities, each built around a different type of added scoring and athleticism, with the idea being that any new arrival would have to fit beside the franchise cornerstone rather than simply raise the talent level in a vacuum.
Jonathan Kuminga, Patrick Watson and Bennedict Mathurin have all been floated as names who could change the look of the lineup, depending on how trade and free-agent talks unfold. Each would bring a distinct skill set and a different way for Milwaukee to balance its current pieces, which is why the speculation has become so focused on starting combinations instead of just backup depth. For now, it remains a matter of possibilities, but the fact that the Bucks are being linked to such varied options says plenty about how open this summer could be around Giannis. [Read more 🡒]