It hasn't been the smoothest of careers thus far for fourth-year Ryan Rollins since getting drafted 44th overall in 2022. Yet, the Milwaukee Bucks are clearly invested in him for the foreseeable future after bringing him back for the next three years.
After initially rescinding Rollins' qualifying offer earlier in the offseason, the Milwaukee Bucks have officially re-signed Rollins to a three-year, $12 million deal, according to ESPN insider Shams Charania.
For a team that just let go of Damian Lillard in a bid to stay competitive this coming season, it’s a vote of confidence in one of last season’s most underrated contributors, and it finally gives the Bucks a stable option at backup point guard.
Milwaukee just secured its backup point guard of the future
Rollins quietly became a real piece for the Bucks throughout their bumpy 2024-25 campaign, averaging 6.2 points, 1.9 assists, and 1.9 rebounds while shooting 40.8 percent from deep across 56 games.
His sudden emergence as a solid backup floor general was one of the more under-the-radar storylines of this past season. Game after game, the 6-foot-3 Rollins showed that he could hold his own defensively, move the ball, and give the second unit some much-needed floor spacing.
What was perhaps most impressive about his Milwaukee Bucks career thus far was that Rollins lost his spot in the rotation multiple times, whether due to injury or the arrival of new pieces post-trade deadline. But each time, without fail, Rollins fought for minutes and eventually won them back.
According to Cleaning the Glass, the Bucks were more efficient (+2.7 effective field goal percentage) while the opposition was less (-1.2 fewer effective field goal percentage points) whenever Rollins played, which is the mark of a two-way player who makes an impact even if it didn't show up on the stat sheet.
The 23-year-old joined the Bucks on a two-way contract in February of last year and spent most of 2024-25 on a two-way before receiving a standard deal a month later. He eventually settled for a rest-of-season contract only to become an unrestricted free agent shortly after the season concluded.
Now the Bucks have rewarded his loyalty and tenacity.
It’s not the most splashy signing in the world, but it’s a smart one. The Bucks are short on young legs and even shorter on point guard depth after the Damian Lillard departure. Locking in a steady, affordable contributor like Rollins gives them stability and potentially a steal if his development continues.
Milwaukee finally did what they had to do. Ryan Rollins earned this deal. Now, let’s see what he does with it with a larger opportunity waiting for him.