The Milwaukee Bucks have a very different kind of roster puzzle in front of them now, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. is one of the pieces they’ll have to sort out.
Jaquez arrived in Milwaukee from the Miami Heat in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, and he’s now heading into the final year of his rookie contract. That puts him on the doorstep of a potentially significant payday, especially after Miami just locked up one of his former teammates.
The Heat agreed to a four-year, $60 million extension with Pelle Larsson, and that deal adds an interesting layer to Jaquez’s situation. Larsson’s new contract makes sense, and because Jaquez turned in a better season than Larsson last year, it’s easy to see why his next deal could land higher. If the Bucks don’t extend him before the season ends, he’ll become a restricted free agent.
There’s real reason to believe Milwaukee should want to keep him around.
Jaquez’s career has already had some sharp swings. His rookie year was strong enough to earn All-Rookie Team honors and a top-three finish in Rookie of the Year voting.
His second season, though, went the other way. At times, he didn’t look like the same player, and his role in Miami became less defined.
Then last season, he answered back with a bounce-back campaign that restored a lot of the momentum from his first year. His numbers climbed again, and he settled into a clear bench role as Miami’s sixth man.
That kind of profile fits what the Bucks need right now. Jaquez isn’t going to be the face of the franchise, and that’s not the point.
He projects as a starter, and teams need players who can do that job well. He’s made noticeable strides as a ball-handler, and his versatility shows up in the ways he rebounds and creates his own looks at the rim.
The biggest issue still hanging over him is his three-point shooting.
Even with that limitation, the case for an extension is easy to make.
Milwaukee isn’t built like the old Bucks anymore. With Giannis gone, this is a younger team, and the organization has to think more about developing and retaining players than constantly chasing veterans to fit around a superstar.
Jaquez lines up with that timeline. He’s 25, and the Bucks should have plenty of minutes to see whether last season was the real thing or just a hot stretch.
There’s no reason to treat his next contract as a direct match for Larsson’s, since the two players fill different roles. But Larsson’s $60 million deal does set the floor for the conversation. If Jaquez backs up last season with another strong year, he should come in above that number.
An early projection would put him at four years and $75 million, or $18.75 million per season. That’s a fair price for a productive player in his prime who can score 15-plus points, rebound, facilitate, and handle multiple roles.
Milwaukee can also choose patience. It doesn’t have to force the issue now.
The Bucks can let Jaquez play through the season, evaluate him in a bigger role, and then deal with restricted free agency if it comes to that. But there’s risk in waiting, too.
If he takes another jump, the price could rise fast.
That’s why it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Bucks eventually try to get ahead of it. If Jaquez keeps playing the way he did last season - productive, versatile, and reliable enough to matter on a young team trying to define its next core - Milwaukee may decide sooner rather than later that he’s worth paying.
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Bucks Still Face A Tough Jaime Jaquez Jr. Decision
Jaime Jaquez Jr. remains one of the more interesting extension cases hanging over Milwaukees long-term planning. The Bucks have not reached a rookie contract extension with the 2023 draft pick yet, even though conversations may still be happening behind the scenes, and the October 19 deadline is starting to loom as the cleanest marker for when this gets real. Milwaukee would like to get something done, but the clock is now part of the story.
Jaquez also has a reason to be patient. Other players from the 2023 draft class have already landed significant extensions, and that kind of market movement can shape how a young player views his own timing. Whether Jaquez wants to lock in security now or wait and see if a bigger opportunity comes later is the kind of decision that can linger well past the deadline, which is why this one still feels unresolved for the Bucks. [Read more 🡒]
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Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday each left fingerprints on the Bucks in different ways, from championship-level consistency to franchise records and the kind of postseason value that usually gets remembered long after a player is gone. An Athletic prediction about NBA players most likely to have their numbers retired only sharpens the debate, because Milwaukee is now in the awkward but enviable position of sorting through a core that has given the team a legitimate case for multiple names in the rafters. The only real question left is where that line gets drawn. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Legend Sends Fans A Tough Message After Giannis Exit
Marques Johnson is asking Bucks fans to separate the pain of losing Giannis Antetokounmpo from the appreciation they should still have for what he did in Milwaukee. Speaking on Gilbert Arenass podcast, the former Bucks standout and analyst pointed to Antetokounmpos championship run and MVP-caliber rise as reasons supporters should be able to root for his success even after the move to Miami.
For a fan base that has built so much of its modern identity around Giannis, that is a tough ask, especially with the roster now shifted and the teams future looking different without him. Johnsons message is aimed less at Antetokounmpo than at the people shaping the next era, and it puts the emotional burden squarely where some longtime fans may not want to place it. [Read more 🡒]