The Bucks didn’t waste any time making a call on Nigel Hayes-Davis.
Just hours after acquiring the veteran forward from Phoenix in a three-team deal, Milwaukee requested waivers on him-bringing a swift end to what was essentially a blink-and-you-miss-it return to the NBA.
Hayes-Davis, who last suited up in the league back in 2018, had spent the past seven years building a solid reputation overseas. He turned heads in the EuroLeague, where he helped Fenerbahçe capture a title and earned Final Four MVP honors last spring. That performance was enough to get him another shot stateside, landing with the Suns this past offseason.
But that opportunity never quite materialized. Hayes-Davis saw limited action-just 7.2 minutes per game across 27 appearances, mostly in mop-up duty. With that kind of usage, the numbers were never going to pop, and the role never expanded.
Now, with Milwaukee cutting ties almost immediately, the most likely path forward leads back to Europe. He’s still eligible for a two-way contract, though not with the Suns, so unless another NBA team sees something they want to explore, a return overseas might be the next chapter.
From the Bucks’ perspective, this move says a lot about where their focus lies. The trade that brought Hayes-Davis to Milwaukee also included Cole Anthony, Amir Coffey, and Ousmane Dieng. With Hayes-Davis already waived, it’s clear Milwaukee wasn’t looking at him as a long-term piece-they’re betting on Dieng as the upside play in that deal.
This wasn’t about adding depth for the stretch run. It was about clearing the deck and taking a swing on potential. Hayes-Davis, despite a decorated run in Europe, just wasn’t part of that vision.