Bucks News, Transactions, Trade Ideas

[Baddy Chuck]

This probably just looks like a jumbled mess spending 10 minutes copying and pasting salaries so my brain can make sense of it, does this look right?

Salary cap - 154.6
Luxury tax - 187.9
First apron - 195.9 (Hard capped)

Guaranteed:
Giannis - 54,126,450
Dame - 54,126,450
Kuzma - 22,410,605
AJ Green - 2,301,587
Tyler Smith - 1,955,377
-----------
134,920,469

Player options (cap holds if declined):
Bobby - 13,445,754 (Full Bird rights)
Connaughton - 9,423,869 (Full Bird rights)
KPJ - 2,546,675 (Non-Bird rights)

Unguaranteed:
Ajax - 2,221,677
Livingston - 2,221,677
2nd round pick

Restricted (cap hold):
Ryan Rollins - 2,818,151 qualifying offer

Unrestricted (cap hold):
Brook Lopez - 34,500,000 (Full Bird rights)
Taurean Prince - 2,296,274 (Non-Bird rights)
GTJ - 2,296,274 (Non-Bird rights)
Sims - 2,178,069 (Non-Bird rights)

Probable:
Giannis - 54,126,450
Dame - 54,126,450
Kuzma - 22,410,605
Bobby - 13,445,754 (cap hold or accepted player option)
Connaughton - 9,423,869 (accepted player option)
Ryan Rollins - 2,818,151 (qualifying offer cap hold)
AJ Green - 2,301,587
Ajax - 2,221,677
Livingston - 2,221,677 (maybe not probable?)
Sims - 2,178,069 (cap hold)
Tyler Smith - 1,955,377
2nd round pick - ???
-----------
167,229,666 + ???

MLE - 14,104,000
BAE- 5,134,000
-----------
186,467,666

Extras:
Midds TPE - 7,210,606
Potential DPE - 14,104,000

[Ron Swanson]

Jrue absolutely sucked in the playoffs this year. But flash back 3-months and how many people here would have been ecstatic if instead of Kuzma we just flipped Khris for Jrue? And now think of getting a draft pick(s) to do it? Yeah, I’m all for using our cap flexibility to take advantage of 2nd apron teams desperately looking to dump salary.

[German Athens]

Yes, the only thing I’d add is that the 167m figure includes unlikely incentives which matters for apron status, but the unlikely incentives don’t matter for luxury tax threshold.

So, it’s 164m if we’re concerned with lux tax.

[BigO]

Figure out a way to get Jrue and McCain, resign Bobby, GTJ if cheap enough and KPJ. Find another Sims. Sign Khris after he's bought out, Sign Thanasis. Pure good vibes team and Giannis is happy.

Sims/Bobby
Giannis/Bobby
AJG
Jrue
McCain

GTJ
KPJ
Another Sims type
Khris
Thanasis

Dame

I don't know about all the rest you said, but I agree in signing Thanasis. Make it a four year contract. As Chonestown would say:"Case clothed".

[ShootingtheJ]

jrue was great for the celtics in the playoffs as a 4th-5th option the last couple...just fantastic. we'd probably beat indy if he'd been in kuzma role. this idea hes a playoff bum is silly

He was a bum this year. His shooting, scoring, rebounding, assists all down. Turnovers up. Previous years don't matter. He's on a down trajectory. And owed $100 million.

nope. wrong. just false. he was nice until forced into a bigger role with tatum out. that last game crapped his numbers hard. but other than **** the bed in the last elimination game but before that...... in the previous 10 games this year he was fine. in fact.....look at the playoff game logs over the last 2 years. a fine complimentary contributor. no doubt about it

dont forget his on/offs with us his last year were the best on the team. he still has value MD....thats if we sent the likes of dame and kuzma and patc out

9.5 ppg. He's Pat Beverly, but Beverly is out of the league and Jrue is due $100 million.

[BigO]

This probably just looks like a jumbled mess spending 10 minutes copying and pasting salaries so my brain can make sense of it, does this look right?

Salary cap - 154.6
Luxury tax - 187.9
First apron - 195.9 (Hard capped)

Guaranteed:
Giannis - 54,126,450
Dame - 54,126,450
Kuzma - 22,410,605
AJ Green - 2,301,587
Tyler Smith - 1,955,377
-----------
134,920,469

Player options (cap holds if declined):
Bobby - 13,445,754 (Full Bird rights)
Connaughton - 9,423,869 (Full Bird rights)
KPJ - 2,546,675 (Non-Bird rights)

Unguaranteed:
Ajax - 2,221,677
Livingston - 2,221,677
2nd round pick

Restricted (cap hold):
Ryan Rollins - 2,818,151 qualifying offer

Unrestricted (cap hold):
Brook Lopez - 34,500,000 (Full Bird rights)
Taurean Prince - 2,296,274 (Non-Bird rights)
GTJ - 2,296,274 (Non-Bird rights)
Sims - 2,178,069 (Non-Bird rights)

Probable:
Giannis - 54,126,450
Dame - 54,126,450
Kuzma - 22,410,605
Bobby - 13,445,754 (cap hold or accepted player option)
Connaughton - 9,423,869 (accepted player option)
Ryan Rollins - 2,818,151 (qualifying offer cap hold)
AJ Green - 2,301,587
Ajax - 2,221,677
Livingston - 2,221,677 (maybe not probable?)
Sims - 2,178,069 (cap hold)
Tyler Smith - 1,955,377
2nd round pick - ???
-----------
167,229,666 + ???

MLE - 14,104,000
BAE- 5,134,000
-----------
186,467,666

Extras:
Midds TPE - 7,210,606
Potential DPE - 14,104,000

Good work. Does this mean they can do just about any type of signing?

Also, under what universe is Kuzma your third highest paid player? This continues to irritate me.

Some people on here harped on BP for the last three years and here we have a guy making 10 million more than BP. Those who went after BP should have about 50 more posts on Kuzma to make up for the BP hatred. I will then forgive and forget.

[BigO]

jrue was great for the celtics in the playoffs as a 4th-5th option the last couple...just fantastic. we'd probably beat indy if he'd been in kuzma role. this idea hes a playoff bum is silly

He was a bum this year. His shooting, scoring, rebounding, assists all down. Turnovers up. Previous years don't matter. He's on a down trajectory. And owed $100 million.

I'm not at the bum stage, but his efficiency tanked this year. In fact, rebounding and assists were also down.

I thought he played good defense in the playoffs, but I didnt watch all that closely. I still can't get that memory out of my mind of Butler torching him in the playoffs.

I also can't see paying him 3 more years at 32, 35 and 37 million. Isn't that why the Bucks got rid of Middleton?

[ShootingtheJ]

You're giving away that first for Kessler and Sexton?

What do you think will be the price to move Kuzma?

Good point.

I'm hoping some GMs think he's still a good player or will return to his supposed good prior form (which never existed). There have to be more Horsts out there.

Agree. Lakers and Kings were still interested last year despite his awful season. I'd take 2 of the Lakers scrub expiring contracts, just to remove the threat of Doc playing Kuz. If they're really suckers, maybe they give up Hachimura. I don't love him, but he's can shoot the 3 and has size.

[BroncoBuck]

As people post these trade ideas to help the team keep Giannis, it makes me think more and more now is the time to trade him.

Most stuff available is crap and/or older guys. Just what we've been doing the past three years with no success.

In 2021 we had a legit big three options (Giannis/Midds/Jrue). None of these ideas bring us a true #2 or #3 on a contender for obvious reasons (we don't have the assets for it). So how you advance beyond the first round without acquiring a true #2 is a mystery to me.

If the Spurs put out the offer of Castle, Vassell, Johnson and all of their picks (all of them) I’d pull the trigger on the deal. You’re always a contender when you have Giannis, but it’s getting harder to depend on his health as he gets older and plays so physical every night.

Not interested in the Rockets offer at all.

Even if the Rockets put Amen Thompson on the table?

Thompson isn’t shooting 3’s at all. Incredible athlete, but a wing that doesn’t shoot 3’s at all has a very limited ceiling and he doesn’t have the rest of the game to make up for it like Giannis has in his career.

Castle hasn’t shot well, but at least the Spurs have him putting them up to improve it.

[ReasonablySober]

I've been listening to some Spurs pods over the last couple weeks. They don't seem broken up about including Vassell or Johnson in a deal. Castle they'd prefer to keep. It's Harper they don't want to give up. One pod I was listening to last night had a Spurs insider slash draft expert and he thinks Harper is going to be an All-NBA caliber guard.

[tedbrogen]

If Giannis asks out, 76ers are looking to trade PG and #3. I'd probably take PG, McCain, #3, both 2028 1sts, 2029 1st and 2030 1st over all the other deals floated. Idk if they are desperate enough to give up 5 1sts but it's not like they are gauranteed to be good picks and the 2029 doesn't convey if it's 1-3.

Five late round firsts aren't worth very much, as teams that have had the Bucks picks have found out. No thanks.

One is #3, 2028 is LAC. 2030 76ers. They aren't all late firsts.

We’re kind of ignoring the elephant in the room in that trade scenario, the Sixers need to give up a ton to dump PG’s potentially worst in the league contract. Add that in with getting Giannis and it would require like three good young players and six firsts. That or they include Maxey and the Bucks include Dame. And they take Kuzma.

[tedbrogen]

This probably just looks like a jumbled mess spending 10 minutes copying and pasting salaries so my brain can make sense of it, does this look right?

Salary cap - 154.6
Luxury tax - 187.9
First apron - 195.9 (Hard capped)

Guaranteed:
Giannis - 54,126,450
Dame - 54,126,450
Kuzma - 22,410,605
AJ Green - 2,301,587
Tyler Smith - 1,955,377
-----------
134,920,469

Player options (cap holds if declined):
Bobby - 13,445,754 (Full Bird rights)
Connaughton - 9,423,869 (Full Bird rights)
KPJ - 2,546,675 (Non-Bird rights)

Unguaranteed:
Ajax - 2,221,677
Livingston - 2,221,677
2nd round pick

Restricted (cap hold):
Ryan Rollins - 2,818,151 qualifying offer

Unrestricted (cap hold):
Brook Lopez - 34,500,000 (Full Bird rights)
Taurean Prince - 2,296,274 (Non-Bird rights)
GTJ - 2,296,274 (Non-Bird rights)
Sims - 2,178,069 (Non-Bird rights)

Probable:
Giannis - 54,126,450
Dame - 54,126,450
Kuzma - 22,410,605
Bobby - 13,445,754 (cap hold or accepted player option)
Connaughton - 9,423,869 (accepted player option)
Ryan Rollins - 2,818,151 (qualifying offer cap hold)
AJ Green - 2,301,587
Ajax - 2,221,677
Livingston - 2,221,677 (maybe not probable?)
Sims - 2,178,069 (cap hold)
Tyler Smith - 1,955,377
2nd round pick - ???
-----------
167,229,666 + ???

MLE - 14,104,000
BAE- 5,134,000
-----------
186,467,666

Extras:
Midds TPE - 7,210,606
Potential DPE - 14,104,000

Good work. Does this mean they can do just about any type of signing?

Also, under what universe is Kuzma your third highest paid player? This continues to irritate me.

Some people on here harped on BP for the last three years and here we have a guy making 10 million more than BP. Those who went after BP should have about 50 more posts on Kuzma to make up for the BP hatred. I will then forgive and forget.

This is why you have to let Brook and Prince walk. To access the full MLE you have to stay below the hard cap, so those dollars count. You need the MLE for either GTJ or Reid or Aldama. If you get one of the latter two, you could let Bobby walk and hope you get the DPE to keep GTJ.

If KPJ opted in, what’s the soonest they could extend him? That might be the key to staying under the hard cap, having him at the player option salary and then giving him a larger extension when he’s eligible and making up for his smaller salary this year with more in the extension pending when they could extend him.

[MickeyDavis]

Thanasis injury update from his podcast (just released but recorded in March)

https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2025/05/19/thanasis-antetokounmpo-injury-update-milwaukee-bucks-status/83728356007/

[tedbrogen]

I've been listening to some Spurs pods over the last couple weeks. They don't seem broken up about including Vassell or Johnson in a deal. Castle they'd prefer to keep. It's Harper they don't want to give up. One pod I was listening to last night had a Spurs insider slash draft expert and he thinks Harper is going to be an All-NBA caliber guard.

I might be more tempted to take Vassell. Sure, he already got paid but you know what he is and that he’s a very good starter. He’s a two way guy who shoots 37%+ on volume from three and doesn’t need the ball in his hands. His contract is basically 4 years/$100M which is a steal for a player his level.

Castle is as ROY but he also shot sub 30% from deep. If he can’t eventually become a better shooter, his ceiling is very limited in the modern NBA. He was negative VORP last season. To me Vassell is a better fit for them but I understand if they’d want to save on salary and hope Castle maxs out his potential.

Basically, Castle isn’t a deal breaker for me. Harper is. I’d still do Vassell/Barnes/2/14/26CHI/27Atl/28 Bos swap/30(2 best of Dal,MN,SA)/31 Sac Swap/Seconds

Barnes expiring at $19M will be super valuable to combine with Pat to take on long term salary for more assets.
So that’s a solid starter locked up long term, a useful expiring salary to flip for more assets, Harper, 5 other firsts, 2 swaps, and some seconds.

And no way the Spurs can argue “this leaves them without being contenders” since they’d have Fox/Castle/Keldon/Giannis/Wemby/Sochan
I’m sure that team could use the TPMLE and min salary vets to fill out the last couple rotation spots.

KPJ/Vassell/AJG/Bobby/Sims with Harper/Rollins/Tyler Smith/14/2nd rounder is a nice start to a rebuild. You either keep a Kuz for a year and hope he rebuilds his value or trade him to a team needing to duck the second apron and take back worse salary. You almost certainly keep Bobby if Giannis walks because you do need someone to score and he won’t be that expensive.

[Baddy Chuck]

KPJ/Vassell/AJG/Bobby/Sims with Harper/Rollins/Tyler Smith/14/2nd rounder is a nice start to a rebuild.

That looks pretty miserable .

[tedbrogen]

KPJ/Vassell/AJG/Bobby/Sims with Harper/Rollins/Tyler Smith/14/2nd rounder is a nice start to a rebuild.

That looks pretty miserable .

If you want miserable, take a look at the 2027-28 Bucks if Giannis walks in free agency and they don’t have their next four firsts.

(Since people are legit proposing trading an unprotected 31 first for one season of Sexton)

[slos]

Baddy you are missing Kuzma’s 3 mil unlikely incentives that could against the aprons.

[RiotPunch]

Figure out a way to get Jrue and McCain, resign Bobby, GTJ if cheap enough and KPJ. Find another Sims. Sign Khris after he's bought out, Sign Thanasis. Pure good vibes team and Giannis is happy.

Sims/Bobby
Giannis/Bobby
AJG
Jrue
McCain

GTJ
KPJ
Another Sims type
Khris
Thanasis

Dame

Just because:

MKE: Jrue, McCain
PHI: Durant, Connaughton, #28
BOS: Kuzma
PHX: George, #3, MKE '31 1st

[GHOSTofSIKMA]

He was a bum this year. His shooting, scoring, rebounding, assists all down. Turnovers up. Previous years don't matter. He's on a down trajectory. And owed $100 million.

nope. wrong. just false. he was nice until forced into a bigger role with tatum out. that last game crapped his numbers hard. but other than **** the bed in the last elimination game but before that...... in the previous 10 games this year he was fine. in fact.....look at the playoff game logs over the last 2 years. a fine complimentary contributor. no doubt about it

dont forget his on/offs with us his last year were the best on the team. he still has value MD....thats if we sent the likes of dame and kuzma and patc out

9.5 ppg. He's Pat Beverly, but Beverly is out of the league and Jrue is due $100 million.

bev is out of the league because hes a mess and dragged the entire league into a lawsuit.

jrue is the ultimate teammate and should absolutely be brought back if dame went out or a kuzma/pat deal could be made. it would depend on other assets involved but jrue helps you win. the others dont.

[ShootingtheJ]

This probably just looks like a jumbled mess spending 10 minutes copying and pasting salaries so my brain can make sense of it, does this look right?

Salary cap - 154.6
Luxury tax - 187.9
First apron - 195.9 (Hard capped)

Guaranteed:
Giannis - 54,126,450
Dame - 54,126,450
Kuzma - 22,410,605
AJ Green - 2,301,587
Tyler Smith - 1,955,377
-----------
134,920,469

Player options (cap holds if declined):
Bobby - 13,445,754 (Full Bird rights)
Connaughton - 9,423,869 (Full Bird rights)
KPJ - 2,546,675 (Non-Bird rights)

Unguaranteed:
Ajax - 2,221,677
Livingston - 2,221,677
2nd round pick

Restricted (cap hold):
Ryan Rollins - 2,818,151 qualifying offer

Unrestricted (cap hold):
Brook Lopez - 34,500,000 (Full Bird rights)
Taurean Prince - 2,296,274 (Non-Bird rights)
GTJ - 2,296,274 (Non-Bird rights)
Sims - 2,178,069 (Non-Bird rights)

Probable:
Giannis - 54,126,450
Dame - 54,126,450
Kuzma - 22,410,605
Bobby - 13,445,754 (cap hold or accepted player option)
Connaughton - 9,423,869 (accepted player option)
Ryan Rollins - 2,818,151 (qualifying offer cap hold)
AJ Green - 2,301,587
Ajax - 2,221,677
Livingston - 2,221,677 (maybe not probable?)
Sims - 2,178,069 (cap hold)
Tyler Smith - 1,955,377
2nd round pick - ???
-----------
167,229,666 + ???

MLE - 14,104,000
BAE- 5,134,000
-----------
186,467,666

Extras:
Midds TPE - 7,210,606
Potential DPE - 14,104,000

Good work. Does this mean they can do just about any type of signing?

Also, under what universe is Kuzma your third highest paid player? This continues to irritate me.

Some people on here harped on BP for the last three years and here we have a guy making 10 million more than BP. Those who went after BP should have about 50 more posts on Kuzma to make up for the BP hatred. I will then forgive and forget.

This is why you have to let Brook and Prince walk. To access the full MLE you have to stay below the hard cap, so those dollars count. You need the MLE for either GTJ or Reid or Aldama. If you get one of the latter two, you could let Bobby walk and hope you get the DPE to keep GTJ.

If KPJ opted in, what’s the soonest they could extend him? That might be the key to staying under the hard cap, having him at the player option salary and then giving him a larger extension when he’s eligible and making up for his smaller salary this year with more in the extension pending when they could extend him.

KPJ won't opt in, but the Bucks can use his Non Bird Rights to give him a raise above his player option salary, so he'd be at a very palatable $2.8 million, and he'd want a player option again as injury protection. I'd do that, as we'd have his Early Bird rights next offseason.