2025-26 Milwaukee Bucks / NBA Thread

[sveumrules]

With Ryan Rollins re-signing and Summer League getting underway thought now seemed like as good a time as any for a new Bucks / NBA thread.

My best guess at the Current Depth Chart looks something like...

Porter Jr. / Rollins
Green / Trent Jr.
Kuzma / Prince / Harris
Giannis / Bobby
Turner / Sims

Etc...Bogoljulb, AJJ, Tyler Smith, (Thanasis??)

Outside of that small forward rotation I really like the other eight guys who should see regular minutes this year, and don't even mind Prince as a 9th/10th guy as long as Doc uses him that way.

CLE and NYK should be better than the Bucks again. BOS and IND will likely take a step back but should still be challengers in that three through six stay outta the play in range along with the Bucks, DET, ORL and maybe ATL.

Just give me another healthy, dominant, unanimous All NBA First Team season out of Giannis and I'll take whatever comes along with it.

[CheezWizHed]

I'm glad Rollins is back.  I see good things for this young man.  

Overall, the team stepped back offensively.... but took a big step forward defensively. 

Odd to say, but I think the team sort of hinges on Kuzma.  If he is able to mesh with the team during the offseason better... or if they are able to flip him (and his expiring contract) for someone better.  This could be a very good team.  

 

[adambr2]

Someone that understands this stuff better than me, why wouldn’t the Bucks have tried to buy out Lillard’s contract rather than just a release and eating the whole thing?

Is it because they wouldn’t have been able to then use the stretch provision to sign Turner? Or because Lillard isn’t in a great bargaining spot right now to enter free agency because of his injury and thus wouldn’t have been open to a buyout? Or something else?

[CheezWizHed]

1 hour ago, adambr2 said:

Someone that understands this stuff better than me, why wouldn’t the Bucks have tried to buy out Lillard’s contract rather than just a release and eating the whole thing?

Is it because they wouldn’t have been able to then use the stretch provision to sign Turner? Or because Lillard isn’t in a great bargaining spot right now to enter free agency because of his injury and thus wouldn’t have been open to a buyout? Or something else?

The money is guaranteed, so what reason would Lillard have to negotiate at all? 

[patrickgpe]

I'd still like them to get a vet PG. Maybe CP3 isn't a terrible idea to come in and mentor the 2 young PGs and play 15-20 min.

[sveumrules]

2 hours ago, adambr2 said:

Someone that understands this stuff better than me, why wouldn’t the Bucks have tried to buy out Lillard’s contract rather than just a release and eating the whole thing?

Is it because they wouldn’t have been able to then use the stretch provision to sign Turner? Or because Lillard isn’t in a great bargaining spot right now to enter free agency because of his injury and thus wouldn’t have been open to a buyout? Or something else?

Yeah, my understanding is if they didn’t stretch him and just waived him instead, the cap hits would have been whatever his salary was for each of the next two seasons.

By stretching it, the cap hit is lowered each year which created the needed room to sign Turner.

[adambr2]

50 minutes ago, CheezWizHed said:

The money is guaranteed, so what reason would Lillard have to negotiate at all? 

Wouldn’t that apply to every contract situation? Yet buyouts still happen — I’m assuming because in a lot of cases the buyout money plus a new deal from a new team is better than the total amount of the old deal from the old team.

[patrickgpe]

buyouts happen so the player can leave for a better situation. Its like you can take our money and rot for a non-contender. or you can leave for less and sign where you want. Also I would imagine the bought out player makes as much or more by doing this. 

[nate82]

I know I should be excited by the Turner signing but this feels like the Monroe signing.  I am not sure why I feel like this maybe it is just my bias of thinking the Bucks needed to do a hard reset.

None of the stats or anything like that back this up but I have this feeling that Turner is just another Monroe or Mason signing.

[patrickgpe]

Monroe and Turner couldn't be more of different player. Monroe was slow and couldn't shoot. Turner reminds me a lot of Brook but is much younger. Can guard the rim and hit the 3. 

[CheezWizHed]

3 hours ago, adambr2 said:

Wouldn’t that apply to every contract situation? Yet buyouts still happen — I’m assuming because in a lot of cases the buyout money plus a new deal from a new team is better than the total amount of the old deal from the old team.

Probably because Lillard won't play next year and will have a reduced salary (from the $50+M we owe him) the year following that.  What is his incentive to reduce his salary? 

I'd be curious if the stretch rules apply to a buyout also?  We needed every bit of the salary savings to make the Turner deal work.

[nate82]

1 hour ago, CheezWizHed said:

I'd be curious if the stretch rules apply to a buyout also?  We needed every bit of the salary savings to make the Turner deal work.

The buyout would have been more than the stretch more than likely.  For example if Dame was owed $30mm this year and next and the Bucks paid $10mm that would only be a $10mm savings his cap hit would still be $20mm.  
 

A more detailed explanation can be found here:

https://www.si.com/nba/what-is-a-contract-buyout-in-the-nba#:~:text=Salary Cap Implications of an,season but not the playoffs.

[nate82]

Buyout for Micic.  

 

[nate82]

The Bucks are looking to do a sign and trade for Kuminga?  Would be nice if they could pull it off but no idea how.

https://www.si.com/nba/bucks/news/bucks-exploring-blockbuster-trade-with-warriors-for-breakout-forward

[BrewerFan]

On 7/7/2025 at 2:40 PM, nate82 said:

The buyout would have been more than the stretch more than likely.  For example if Dame was owed $30mm this year and next and the Bucks paid $10mm that would only be a $10mm savings his cap hit would still be $20mm.  
 

A more detailed explanation can be found here:

https://www.si.com/nba/what-is-a-contract-buyout-in-the-nba#:~:text=Salary Cap Implications o

I did not think you could save money on a buyout. I know MLB has rules against it, I thought the NBA was even stricter. In the scenario you laid out, I just thought it was 10M less the team owed, but still counted against the cap. It was just dead money. 

Some of these buyouts are bigger than I ever remember them being reported. Ayton for example. I didn't think it'd be that hard to move a guy like Ayton. 

[jay87shot]

To trade for Kuminga we would need to send out Kuzma and possibly more money. I don't see why Golden State would do that when they could just re-sign Kuminga instead.

If Bradley Beal get cut lose he would be a great target. Possibly then trade Kuzma for a point guard I think Marcus Smart for Kuzma woudl financially work but we would probably need a third team because Washington probably doesn't want Kuz back.

[nate82]

14 hours ago, jay87shot said:

To trade for Kuminga we would need to send out Kuzma and possibly more money. I don't see why Golden State would do that when they could just re-sign Kuminga instead.

Depending on how much Kuminga would sign for it could be do able without trading Kuzma but I think his first year would have to be low like really low.  Possible but not likely.  I think the Warriors want to move on from Kuminga and they have been actively looking for someone to do a sign and trade as Kuminga doesn't fit into their style of play with Curry.  Kuminga is more of a shot creator and kind of needs the ball to be helpful and that is the exact opposite of what you want with someone like Curry.  

He is also not really a fit with the Bucks but right now the Bucks only have Giannis who can somewhat create for himself and that is it.  Which means Giannis will get triple teamed a lot.  Which for Curry that isn't a problem but for Giannis it is a huge problem.  So you need a second shot creator with Giannis.  So Kuminga makes sense for the Bucks.  The Bucks will need to include a third team and I am not even sure who that would be who would want to take on Kuzma. 

15 hours ago, jay87shot said:

If Bradley Beal get cut lose he would be a great target. Possibly then trade Kuzma for a point guard I think Marcus Smart for Kuzma woudl financially work but we would probably need a third team because Washington probably doesn't want Kuz back.

It sounds like Beal will be signing with the Clippers along with Paul.  

[Matt Breen]

I think the Bucks really only have two options right now if they want to add:

1. Sign someone for minimum or near minimum.

2. Send Kuzma with our 2031 1st round pick attached. No one wants the guy with $42m still on his contract. So we have to make it worthwhile for them. 

Matching contracts would be a challenge. Kuzma is set to make $22m - so (I think) we'd have to be near that. Perhaps we have an end-of-the-bench guy we could throw in to make it $25m - but I'm not totally sure how cap stuff works. 

It will be interesting to see where things go.

 

[patrickgpe]

Pg situation figured out with Cole Anthony being bought out and signing with the bucks. I don’t hate it. I wish he was more of a distributor but he is young. CP3 was going to the clippers. Westbrook is rumored to want to go to Denver. Bucks got what they could 

[adambr2]

CP3 is ancient. I’d rather have Anthony. It’d be nice if they could still land Westbrook or Beal, but that probably won’t happen, But yeah, at least they got an upgrade to their rotation that they needed.

[patrickgpe]

@adambr2 I think they are done with free agency. Can’t see 4 pg’s on the roster obviously 

[nate82]

Jackson so far in the summer league is not impressing the Bucks.  He may only play if there is an injury or during garbage time only during the season. Jackson is going down the Beauchamp route where he will be traded or released at some point this season.

I believe the Bucks were hoping Jackson would show something at the summer league so they could possibly put him in a trade with Kuzma and not have to include a 1st in that trade.

[Samurai Bucky]

Dame back to the Blazers.  Working on a 3-year, $42M deal.  Good for him -- I don't think he wanted to leave Portland, anyway.

 

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Samurai Bucky said:

Dame back to the Blazers.  Working on a 3-year, $42M deal.  Good for him -- I don't think he wanted to leave Portland, anyway.

 

Must mean Middleton is coming back to the Bucks.  The space/star chakras are aligning.

[GAME05]

Also means the Bucks will be adding about $10M of cap space. Lillard will be making $70M next year.