The Milwaukee Bucks were linked to Peyton Watson, Jonathan Kuminga, and Bennedict Mathurin at various points this summer, but all of them landed elsewhere. Milwaukee could have made moves for any of them but held firm. They clearly believe in their current roster, and now, as the offseason winds down, their next goal will be trimming the roster to the allowed number of players.
Bucks still have moves to make this summer
While teams are allowed to exceed the legal limit during the summer, the Bucks must trim the roster from 17 standard contracts to 15 before the regular season opener. Parting with two players on this team is far easier said than done. Will the team cut players? Is there a trade out there to get this unit to 15 players? The Bucks have options, but right now, there is no telling which road they will travel.
For starters, Pete Nance feels like an obvious roster crunch casualty. His $2.5 million salary for the 2026-27 season will become guaranteed on opening night, so if the Milwaukee Bucks cut him before then, they will be off the hook and open a roster spot. It's unfortunate, as Nance has shown signs of being productive with the Bucks, but that's the NBA.
Given that he almost certainly won't factor into their rotation this coming season, the Bucks would likely be fine trading Caris LeVert in a salary dump. Yet, finding a taker for his $14.8 million contract would be tough without attaching draft capital, something the Bucks absolutely should not do. The same goes for any potential Kyle Kuzma trade.
Bucks' likeliest trade avenue is as clear as day
If the Milwaukee Bucks make a trade to clear a roster spot, AJ Green feels like the more attainable player from a logical standpoint.
As one of the best long-range marksmen in the league, countless teams would love to have him on the roster, especially with the two-guard making an affordable $10.8 million next season. The Bucks' jam in the backcourt has been discussed ad nauseam this summer, but it still persists. To make room for the young Bucks, trading Green could be a necessary evil.
The Bucks re-signing Gary Trent Jr., a move so controversial that it spawned an investigation by the NBA, could push Green further out the door. It's hard to justify a rebuilding team paying two players who do very similar things $10.8 and $15.2 million next season while they are 26 and 27 years old. One will likely have to go, and Green is the one teams would likely be interested in.
For now, the Milwaukee Bucks will be patient, but the time to slim down the roster is coming, and the path there is far from clear at this time.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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