The Milwaukee Bucks and the rest of the NBA can officially begin meeting with free agents on Tuesday, June 30, at 5 p.m. Central Time. However, contracts can’t officially be signed until the moratorium period ends nearly a week later—on Monday, July 6.
During that time, the Bucks will be scouring the free agent market for players who fit their new approach. They’re no longer in championship-building mode. But that doesn’t mean they’re trying to tank either.
Without control of their own first-round pick for several years, the Bucks will try to remain as competitive as possible without the services of Giannis Antetokounmpo. They have plenty of promising young players to build around, but will also need more established veterans to help carry the load.
To fully prepare us for this new era of Bucks’ basketball, let’s check out where the Bucks are at ahead of free agency.
Salary Cap Situation
The Bucks already have a roster crunch.
By my count, they currently have 15 players under contract for the upcoming season.
That includes Gary Harris, Kevin Porter Jr., and Jericho Sims who have accepted their player options, and doesn’t include Gary Trent Jr. (who declined his player option) and Taurean Prince (who hasn’t made a decision yet).
It also includes the four players they acquired from the Heat in the Giannis trade, as well as their two first-round draft picks. It does not include Malique Lewis, whom the Bucks used with the 60th overall pick. However, Andre Jackson Jr. and Pete Nance have non-guaranteed deals at this point in time.
There is still a lot to work out from an exact cap perspective, and Milwaukee likely isn’t done wheeling and dealing. However it works out, the Bucks are well over the 2026-27 salary cap.
TL;DR: The Bucks have a full roster and no cap space to work with this summer.
Signing Exceptions
- $5.5 million bi-annual exception (BAE)
$15 million non-tax level exception (NTMLE)
Despite not having any cap space, Milwaukee does have two exceptions it can use in free agency.
The first is the BAE. They can split that among two players in free agency or even use it to acquire a player in a trade (as long as that player doesn’t have more than two years remaining on their contract).
The same rules largely apply to the NTMLE, with one exception: it can be used to trade for a player with up to four years remaining on their contract.
Of course, the Bucks can also sign veterans to minimum-level contracts. However, that may not apply, as Milwaukee has a full roster and two other more lucrative tools to use this offseason.
Bucks Free Agents
Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Gary Trent Jr., Alex Antetokounmpo, and Ousmane Dieng
Ousmane Dieng is the Bucks’ free agent to keep the closest eye on. He’s a restricted free agent, which means Milwaukee will have the first opportunity to sign him to a new deal and match any contract he signs.
Dieng was acquired at the deadline and showed promise down the stretch. He has good size at 6-foot-9 and showed a nice scoring profile for Milwaukee, averaging 11 points per game in 30 appearances following the trade.
He’s only 23 years old and could be an intriguing role player for the Bucks in the future. They may want to bring him back for a closer look.
Biggest Need
Milwaukee desperately needs someone who can put consistent pressure on the rim. Ideally, from the guard position.
Tyler Herro, Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. are all solid playmakers in their own right. However, they get most of their shots outside of the paint and rely heavily on their jumpers.
The Bucks could benefit from someone who can get downhill into the paint and create easy scoring looks for themselves or others. Jumpers are nice, but having a more consistent scoring weapon in your arsenal is also helpful.
Those types of players are hard to come by in free agency, especially with the NTMLE as your biggest free agent weapon. However, Milwaukee could consolidate some of their other players and use one of their free-agent tools to acquire a player from another team who fits the mold.
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