Bucks News, Transactions, Trade Ideas

[th87]

Kuminga...the gift that keeps on giving.

Tim Thomas = Fool's gold

I had an unhealthy obsession with Tim when he 'broke out'. Then when he became a FA I was so worried we wouldn't be able to keep him. Then he re-signed with us, taking less money than what the Bulls offered. Then I loved him even more. Then, well, the rest is history.

Same...so stressful, until I heard the news at my summer internship and was jumping and fist-pumping.

[ShootingtheJ]

I'm guessing we won't see Kuzma moved until the Kumminga contract is resolved.

Kuminga...the gift that keeps on giving.

Kuminga = Tim Thomas = Fool's gold
Just say no Horst.

Yeah I don't see us as the team that lands Kumminga, just that the teams that would deal for Kuzma are chasing Kumminga or presently have Kumminga.

[BigO]

Kuminga = Tim Thomas = Fool's gold
Just say no Horst.

A couple places on the internet said we may be trying to get Son of the glove back in Milwaukee.

Former player son BigO about to have another meltdown.

Nah. No meltdoown. I was advocating to get him last season as a defensive stopper.

Children of former players isn't the issue.

Getting them as a favor to a friend is the issue.

[ShootingtheJ]

Fun writeup. Explains pretty well why Rollins is the guy I'd be highest on going into this season. Wouldn't surprise me one bit if something like Anthony/Rollins/Trent/Giannis/Turner ends up being our best lineup.

All of our best lineups last year included Green, so I'd be pretty surprised if Green wasn't in our top lineup again.

[raferfenix]

On the one hand Kuminga is 7 years younger and more athletic than Kuzma as well as a dramatically better finisher at the hoop.

On the other neither can shoot and are awkward at best at SF. Kuminga will also be paid more and wouldn’t be able to be dealt for a while.

Kuminga very possibly will have more trade value than a soon to be expiring Kuz — but he’d be coming in with an attitude demanding the ball, and if he’s just not a good fit with Giannis, it’d be a lot of trouble to go through and risk to take on.

[drone3]

It would be great if Ryan Rollins turns into Cason Wallace defensively.

If Rollins is the next Cason Wallace and Cason Wallace is the next Jrue we can bring this full circle

[raferfenix]

Horst comparing Rollins to George Hill alongside reports like this has me wondering just how high his potential might be.

More broadly the Bucks returning to a lockdown defense identity is a real possibility with the Dame/Old Man Brook to Myles Turner transition:

I’ve been telling anyone that will listen that Rollins is going to be a good role player in this league for the next decade.

He’s already a good defensive guard – ranking in the 68th percentile in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus and the 89th percentile in steal rate (per Dunks & Threes). Rollins’ swift agility, supreme positional length (6’10 wingspan), and cat-like reflexes make him useful as a point-of-attack stopper, a defensive playmaker in passing lanes, and a chaser against off-ball actions.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/matissa/2025/07/22/two-genius-signings-the-milwaukee-bucks-made-this-offseason/

[Ron Swanson]

The Kuminga stuff is likely just holding up Horford's free agency plans. I don't think it really affects us at all, but I guess that's mostly because I don't think our interest in Kuminga is that serious. The RJ Barrett discussion has kinda fallen off a bit but I think it's still worth monitoring considering where Toronto is right now. They have a full roster and are more than $3 million over the 1st apron tax. They've got 3 guys on partially guaranteed contracts that they can waive but that only opens up anywhere from 800k to $2 million, so a trade is pretty much the only way they can duck the tax entirely. A simple swap of Barrett for Kuz accomplishes that. Could even toss them Andre so they can bring him into camp and still waive his non-guarantee before October 1st or whatever. It's the trade that continues to make the most sense for both sides.

[skbucks1985]

It wouldn't surprise me if there's a Barrett for Kuzma deal on the table and the sticking point is that Toronto wants some draft capital

[raferfenix]

The RJ Barrett discussion has kinda fallen off a bit but I think it's still worth monitoring considering where Toronto is right now.

Agreed. That team paying the tax when they are so close to ducking it seems silly.

Have been thinking about the Raptors with the Lakers scenarios we’ve been kicking around too.

Seems like Toronto would prefer Rui’s ending contract to Kuz (even though neither are a good fit). But if Barrett can be had that cheaply then the Lakers might prefer to just take him.

[raferfenix]

Raptors mailbag from Toronto-based beat writer Aaron Rose:

What’s gonna be the Raptors next big move? – Raptorsforlife12344555

Hiring a president.

I don’t anticipate anything big getting done until the Raptors decide who will lead the organization forward. That person will then have some decisions to make around the trade deadline and next offseason. I’m not expecting any major trades this summer.

What do you think RJ’s trade value is? – @orenp_113

All indications are that he has little to no trade value, possibly even negative value. That’s not to say RJ Barrett isn’t a skilled player, but the $57 million owed to him over the next two seasons outweighs his on-court impact.

It’s a reflection of the new financial landscape in the league that has squeezed out the middle class and made every dollar more valuable.

We’ve seen reporting from Jake Fischer that Toronto offered Barrett to the Pelicans instead of Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk, but New Orleans chose the latter. Fischer also reported that Toronto offered Barrett and the No. 9 pick to Boston for Jrue Holiday, but Boston preferred Anfernee Simons’ expiring contract.

All of this suggests other teams don’t value Barrett highly. And clearly, Toronto doesn’t either, or they wouldn’t have made those offers. I checked in with Fischer who confirmed it’s Barrett’s contract that’s dragging down his trade value.

https://www.si.com/nba/raptors/raptors-mailbag-rj-barrett-trade-value-summer-league-takeaways-toronto-plans

[tedbrogen]

Hard pass on Barrett, he’s horribly inefficient at the most efficient shots basketball.

[Ron Swanson]

There's absolutely zero chance that Boston turned down the 9th overall pick for Jrue lol. What has Fischer even been right about this offseason?

[pifhluk23]

Hard pass on Barrett, he’s horribly inefficient at the most efficient shots basketball.

He's worth Kuzma + AJJ, I'd throw in a 2nd too. Can still attach picks and trade RJ at the deadline if someone good becomes available, same as Kuzma.

[mlloyd10]

Hard pass on Barrett, he’s horribly inefficient at the most efficient shots basketball.

He's as efficient as MPJ, Josh Hart, Derrick White

[MickeyDavis]

Raptors still have their GM, Bobby Webster, but they are waiting for a President to be hired before making any moves? Does Webster not have any authority? He's been the GM for 8 years. Was Masai still doing the deals even after he was moved upstairs? They still have 88 year old Wayne Embry as a senior advisor, he's been there 20 years.

[Bernman]

The Bucks should have way better intangibles this season w/out Dame being an energy suck, and replacing him w/ an energizer such as Cole Anthony. In the thought leader department it can only get better. Gary Harris was a weird signing on court, but he's known for his guidance.

[German Athens]

Hard pass on Barrett, he’s horribly inefficient at the most efficient shots basketball.

He's as efficient as MPJ, Josh Hart, Derrick White

Gonna need to cite some stats, because this is not true overall. All three of the guys you mentioned shot over 60% ts last year, and MPJ and White have been over 60% each of the last three seasons.

Barrett was 54.7% last year.

[ShootingtheJ]

The Kuminga stuff is likely just holding up Horford's free agency plans. I don't think it really affects us at all, but I guess that's mostly because I don't think our interest in Kuminga is that serious. The RJ Barrett discussion has kinda fallen off a bit but I think it's still worth monitoring considering where Toronto is right now. They have a full roster and are more than $3 million over the 1st apron tax. They've got 3 guys on partially guaranteed contracts that they can waive but that only opens up anywhere from 800k to $2 million, so a trade is pretty much the only way they can duck the tax entirely. A simple swap of Barrett for Kuz accomplishes that. Could even toss them Andre so they can bring him into camp and still waive his non-guarantee before October 1st or whatever. It's the trade that continues to make the most sense for both sides.

The Kings are chasing Kumminga, and Kuzma is possibly their plan B.

[emunney]

<sheldon cooper voice> Kuminga!