First things first, not many Milwaukee Bucks fans think Giannis Antetokounmpo will ask out. Yes, it has been disappointing with early playoff exits the last three seasons. Because of this, I think many would agree, they wouldn’t blame Giannis for asking out, though.
The Bucks are in a pretty tough spot as far as putting a winning supporting cast around him next season. They’ll be without Damian Lillard for perhaps all of next season as he recovers from Achilles surgery. The injury makes it a difficult task to put a true championship contender around Giannis. Even though Lillard is unlikely to play until very late next year, he will be a $54 million cap hit.
As Sam Amick said in an Athletic article discussing the Bucks’ dim future outlook:
“…the Lillard injury made a challenging situation even worse. As we reported earlier this month, the prospect of trading Lillard this summer as a way of reshaping the roster yet again was expected to be discussed if he had stayed healthy. We’ll never know where those talks might have led, but they’re out of the question now.”
The Bucks also don’t control their first-round pick until 2031. Looking at the Bucks roster, there isn’t much young talent that sticks out. Yes, there is some but not nearly enough to think the Bucks can survive without Lillard.
What can GM Jon Horst and the Bucks do? Perhaps, getting younger and more athletic and having 2026 as a gap year with eyes on truly contending again in 2026-27. Here is a potential path forward for the Bucks.
Priority No. 1: Re-sign Gary Trent Jr.
The disappointing Kyle Kuzma trade has a positive in that it put the Bucks under the second apron. Getting under the second apron actually unlocks quite a few options for the Bucks. The Bucks have access to a $14.1 million nontaxpayer mid-level exception, which can be split among multiple players. It will take a decent chunk of that to bring Trent Jr. back to Milwaukee, but he needs to be back in Milwaukee next year. Trent is only 26 years old. He shot the 3-ball spectacularly at 41.6% in the regular season and averaged 11.1 points per game. Another coup for Trent was that he was a playoff riser, something the Bucks need badly. Trent averaged 18.8 points per game and shot 50% from 3 in the playoffs.
With leftover money, Milwaukee can bring back other free agents Kevin Porter Jr. or Ryan Rollins. Porter is likely opting out with his player option to become a free agent. Rollins is a restricted free agent. If I had to guess, it’s much more likely the Bucks retain Rollins simply due to available funds. To use a trade exception snagged in the Middleton-Kuzma swap – we’ll get to that later – the Bucks also can’t use all of the 14.1 million or they’re hard-capped.
Trade 2031 first for two firsts this season
To help infuse some young talent onto the team, the Bucks could trade a future first for two picks in this draft. A team like the Thunder, who might not have much need for a current pick with such a young roster in tow, might make that deal. The Bucks could use this season as an opportunity for two young wings to get experience and potentially be home runs down the line. Having 3 and D wings is vital in today’s NBA. If you can get a couple to gain valuable experience, they could be players in Giannis’ prime. Also seeing some blossoming talent could entice Giannis to sign another extension in Milwaukee.
What will Bobby Portis do?
The first domino if Giannis wants to stay in Milwaukee, is Portis’ player option. In a recent interview, Portis hinted the Bucks might want to go in a different direction after three first round exits. The offensive minded Sixth Man is likely seeking a last big payday, too. Portis was his usual solid self, averaging 13.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game last year.
If the Bucks do re-sign Portis, it’d likely be in the $14 million per year range. A sign-and-trade option could be on the table. Horst and the Bucks likely don’t want to lose Portis for no compensation. If a contract is reached and he remains on the Bucks, Portis couldn’t be dealt until the deadline. However, a sign-and-trade could be a good option to get the Bucks some players to fit around Giannis on the wings or another ball handler. Some potential trade options in that salary range: Cole Anthony (ORL), Dorrian Finney-Smith (LAL).
Let Brook Lopez walk, re-sign Jericho Sims
Lopez isn’t likely to be back in Milwaukee next year. The Bucks can let him walk or perhaps work out a sign-and-trade potentially. However, I am not sure Lopez gets the money at 37 years old where a sign-and-trade makes sense. The Warriors have been pegged as a team with interest in Lopez. Perhaps with rumored interest they have an $8.8 million trade exception and could use that to acquire Lopez for just a draft pick.
The Bucks need to be more athletic, and Sims provided a nice boost after the Bucks acquired him at the Trade Deadline. His ability to switch on the perimeter for a big is something that was noticeable in Milwaukee when he was on the floor. Sims, 26, likely re-signs on a 1+1 deal a league minimum with a second-year option.
Trade Kuzma for DeMar Derozan
Is DeRozan the first choice for the Bucks? Probably not. He’s an older player, but with Lillard out for most if not all of next season, DeRozan could give someone to alleviate some of the scoring and decision-making load on Giannis. DeRozan did average 22.2 points per game and 4.4 assists on 47.7% shooting in his age 35 season. Also, with Kuzma struggling in the playoffs mightily his stock isn’t very high. I am not sure I see another realistic avenue to move him. Had he played well in Milwaukee it’d be a different story.
Use the trade exception from Middleton trade
The Khris Middletonntrade last year created a trade exception worth about $7.2 million by getting under the second apron. There really aren’t many great options for this exception via the trade route for players under contract with other teams, but some names via trade could be Kenrich Williams from OKC, Haywood Highsmith ($5.4 mil) and Jose Alvarado ($4.5 mil) as a few options.
The Bucks could also do a sign-and-trade for a player signing a multi-year deal as long as the first year is less than $7.2 million. This was done last year with Jonas Valancuinas going to the Wizards last year in a sign-and-trade.
Guerschon Yabusele, Trey Lyles, Jake LaRavia (might be out of price range) and Chris Boucher are perhaps some options in that case. Just due to roster construction, Jose Alvarado makes quite a bit of sense. Alvarado is a dogged defender and could be another ball-handler.
Sign a player using Biannual exception
Some options for the Bucks using the BAE could be Charles Bassey, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jaxson Hayes, Precious Achiuwa and Larry Nance Jr. The bi-annual exception is just north of $5 million dollars. While this may not seem like great players could be had, they all would be younger players who are athletic or in Nance Jr.’s case a big who can stretch the floor. If those options aren’t enticing, perhaps the Bucks could use the BAE to re-sign Porter Jr. if he opts out.
Looking ahead
The Lillard injury is a massive blow to the Bucks. Milwaukee now is in a spot unlikely to contend for a championship next season and Lillard still counting $54.1 million against the cap to potentially not play a single game. However, there are multiple avenues the Bucks could go down to improve the roster. One issue the Bucks likely can’t count on but could be awarded is an injured player exception. There are many caveats but here is one for the exception (if granted):
- The team may sign a free agent for one season only, for 50 percent of the disabled player’s salary or the amount of the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level exception, whichever is less.
The Bucks are unlikely to contend for a championship next year. But they can get younger and more athletic with some shrewd moves. If it’s just a one-year blip, Giannis would definitely consider staying. The injury to Jayson Tatum makes the East pretty wide-open next year and while the Bucks may not come out of it, I think they can win a playoff round.
There is a pathway for Horst and the Bucks to create a roster ready to gain more valuable experience and be ready to contend in 2026-’27.
A collection of say, Rollins-Trent Jr.-AJ Green-Giannis-Jaxson Hayes could be a very young and athletic group with some sniper shooters. Then a Alvarado-DFS or Cole Anthony-DeRozan-Sims-Tyler Smith, Andre Jackson Jr. and young draft picks among the bench unit players would be a definite playoff contender with a chance to gain experience and get on a path back to being a title contention.
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