The Bucks finally caved. After years of will-they-or-won’t-they, Milwaukee traded Giannis Antetokounmpo (and Bobby Portis) to Miami for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, and significant draft capital. The deal ended up being a little better than a “we had no choice” move, but not bringing in a proven blue-chip youngster hurts. Fortunately, the Bucks can still make the deal better by flipping Herro, who has real value around the league.
We’re now seeing the early stages of a developmental project in Milwaukee. The team brought in former Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins, who was the franchise’s winningest coach and made the playoffs in three of his six seasons. He was also widely praised for his ability to develop young talent. All of that went into the Bucks giving him a six-year deal.
Milwaukee awkwardly has a bunch of serviceable veterans on the roster. In fact, none of the youngsters appear ready to crack the starting five, which will likely feature Herro, Jaquez, Ryan Rollins, Kyle Kuzma, and Myles Turner. That should mean rookies Brayden Burries and Nate Ament will come off the bench, along with Ware and last year’s surprisingly good pickup, Ousmane Dieng.
For a roster that looks extremely weird, this might be a fun team to watch on NBA League Pass early in the season. But it’s hard to imagine this team consistently winning games, and it’s one of the few bottom-tier teams I’d be fading late in the year. Milwaukee should be an active seller at the trade deadline, and the remaining group could struggle to win against motivated teams.
The Under on 25.5 looks like the only play to make in what should be a bit of a depressing season for the Bucks. It’s at least nice that Milwaukee knows what the future holds with Antetokounmpo now in South Beach.
BURNING QUESTIONS
Which of the young guys will stand out?
Last year, after the Bucks picked him up, the 6-foot-9 Dieng averaged 11.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Milwaukee ended up bringing him back on a three-year, $17.25 million deal, so it’s clear he impressed the decision-makers. Dieng has the potential to be a good two-way wing in this league, but he needs to keep improving the jumper.
Ware is the best prospect who came over from Miami. The 22-year-old has rubbed a bunch of coaches the wrong way, but he averaged 11.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game last season. He is a defensive presence around the rim, and he has the potential to be a floor-spacing big on offense. We’ll see if Jenkins can get through to him. It should excite Ware that he’s now playing for the same guy who developed Jaren Jackson Jr.
I also wouldn’t sleep on Jakucionis. He was a smaller part of the Antetokounmpo trade, but he’s a big guard with a nice jumper and the ability to rack up assists as a pick-and-roll operator.
The real focal points in Milwaukee will be the two 2026 first-rounders, though. Burries was an absolute killer at Arizona last year, and he could turn into one of the league’s better three-level scorers at his position. He’s extremely tough to cover when attacking the rim, he’s a good shooter, and he’s smooth with the ball in his hands.
Ament has a little less upside than Burries, as he’s not very comfortable creating offense for himself. But he does have a high floor as a potential three-and-D player.
Will Myles Turner bounce back?
In my Pacers write-up, I noted that Turner’s defensive metrics have been sliding. His offensive efficiency also fell off a cliff in his first season with Milwaukee. Was he just struggling to adjust to a new situation, or is this who he is now?
If Turner starts the season playing solid two-way basketball, there’s a good chance his contract will be movable for the Bucks. Playoff teams like bigs who can space the floor and contest shots at the rim. However, if last year was a sign of things to come, Turner’s contract will be a short-term problem for Milwaukee, even if he is a good locker room presence.
How many of the veterans will be on the roster after the trade deadline?
This team could look drastically different come February. Plenty of contenders could use some of Milwaukee’s players, even if they’re just serving as depth pieces. Herro is the main player to watch. If any borderline playoff teams are in need of scoring, the first call could go out to the Bucks. The Pistons seemingly sniffed around on Herro while the Antetokounmpo packages were being formed. Maybe we’ll see those talks revisited.
If Turner gets himself right, he’ll be viewed as an option for teams. Toronto had some level of interest over the summer.
I’ll be keeping an eye on Rollins and Jaquez, though. Rollins is a very good two-way contributor at point, and he’s on a super cheap deal. Jaquez was a winning player off the bench for the Heat, and he can make that impact anywhere.
WIN TOTAL LEAN: Under 25.5
