The Bucks are heading into camp with more bodies than clean answers, and the math alone makes the situation messy. Milwaukee has 17 players on standard contracts, which means at least two have to go before opening night.
Pete Nance, whose two-year deal from July is non-guaranteed, stands out as the easiest cut unless he turns heads in camp and the preseason. If general manager Jon Horst can’t find a trade to clear space, the Bucks would have to pile more money onto the $22MM in dead cap already sitting on the books from waiving and stretching Damian Lillard and Vasilije Micic.
The bigger headache might be on the floor. Horst said new head coach Taylor Jenkins is going to have a tough time carving out minutes in a backcourt that suddenly looks crowded from top to bottom.
Doc Rivers regularly leaned on Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. together last season, but that setup may not survive after Milwaukee added Tyler Herro and Kasparas Jakucionis in a trade with Miami and used the 10th pick on Brayden Burries. A.J.
Green and Caris LeVert are in the mix too, and Gary Trent Jr. will be pushing for a bigger slice after re-signing on a reported four-year, $64MM deal.
Herro’s status adds another layer. Nehm notes that Milwaukee still has to decide whether it wants to keep him or eventually move him, and he’s eligible for an extension right now. If the Bucks are eyeing a trade in the coming months, there’s at least a chance they’ll feature him heavily early in the season to help build his value.
Elsewhere in the Central Division, Cleveland is still working the phones on Dennis Schröder. Sources told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com that the Cavaliers are exploring trade options for the guard as they try to create financial room for a run at Jonathan Kuminga or Peyton Watson. Schröder is set to make $14.8MM this season and $15.5MM in 2027/28, and the issue has been finding a team willing to take on the final two seasons for the 32-year-old.
There was also movement on the legal front for Cavaliers guard James Harden. His lawyer confirmed that he finished his community service before a misdemeanor gun charge was dismissed Friday. Attorney Rusty Hardin said, “What happened to James is the same thing that is happening regularly, he was not using the weapon and he was courteous and appropriate toward the officers,” and added, “There is nothing unusual that happened here, this is a regular resolution.”
In Chicago, the Bulls may have done enough this summer to avoid falling into the three-team “relegation zone” that would cost them a ping pong ball in next year’s lottery, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. The team added Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain in the first round, then brought in Norman Powell on a deal with a team option for the second season.
Powell could also end up being a hot name at the trade deadline. Cowley placed Chicago’s current roster 25th in the league, ahead of New Orleans, Brooklyn, Milwaukee, Memphis and Sacramento.
In Other News...
Bucks Face A Tyler Herro Decision That Could Shape Everything Next
Tyler Herro arrived in Milwaukee as part of the trade that sent Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami, and now the Bucks are facing the kind of contract call that can shape a franchises next move. Herro is heading into the final year before unrestricted free agency, which leaves the Bucks with a familiar but difficult choice: lock in a key scorer now, or wait and preserve more room to maneuver later.
The appeal of an extension is obvious, especially if Milwaukee can keep Herro on a deal that still carries value for the team. The risk is just as clear, because moving too soon could narrow the Bucks options when the next offseason arrives. It is the sort of decision that says as much about the front offices timeline as it does about Herro himself, and it may end up defining how aggressively Milwaukee can build around its new core. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Kuzma Suddenly Has A Real Chance To Change Everything In Milwaukee
Kyle Kuzma has never been shy about what he thinks he can do when the fit is right. He recently said he believes he can be an All-Star and put up 25 points per game if he gets a consistent role, and the timing suddenly makes his confidence feel less like wishful thinking and more like an opening the Bucks have to consider.
With Doc Rivers out of the picture and a spot available at power forward, Milwaukee has a chance to redraw part of its rotation around Kuzma. The problem is that the path still looks crowded, with Tyler Herro in the mix and the possibility of another addition changing the pecking order before Kuzma can turn that opportunity into something more permanent. [Read more 🡒]