It felt like a long shot that Taurean Prince would be back for the Milwaukee Bucks this season, and for good reason. Per The Athletic's Eric Nehm, the Bucks have applied for a Disabled Player Exception for Prince, an admission that ultimately means the forward is unlikely to return before June 15. Barring an unheard-of miracle, Prince's season is over.
Bucks unlikely to get Taurean Prince back this season
Prince was limited to just eight appearances this season before undergoing neck surgery to address a herniated disc. He was initially ruled out indefinitely, leaving the door open for a return, but it always felt like that might be too daring. Now, Prince can spend the rest of the season rehabbing and getting back up to game speed.
It's worth noting that he has a player option for next summer to stick around in Milwaukee, so he may opt to take that right away after this update.
After a strong year last season, Prince seemed due for a repeat. Emerging as one of the strongest perimeter shooters in the game, the Milwaukee Bucks were excited to see what he could do in this 3-point-heavy offense. Indeed, he started hot, hitting 42.9 percent of his triples before going down with this neck injury.
Losing Prince hurts. Even when he was healthy, the Milwaukee Bucks were thin at small forward. Now, without Prince, that issue will only be amplified. AJ Green and Gary Trent Jr. must continue to take on the bulk of the minutes, while Kyle Kuzma will have to play out of position at times. Doc Rivers might have to dust off Amir Coffey or Andre Jackson Jr. as well.
As for the Disabled Player Exception, it's not going to change much for Milwaukee if the league does grant them one. The Bucks would have about half of Prince's salary to utilize on a player, giving them around $2 million to play with. Sure, they could find a nice reclamation project with that, but not the type of move that could replace Prince entirely, in all likelihood.
Injuries have, once again, been an unfortunate storyline with the Milwaukee Bucks this season. First, it was Kevin Porter Jr. getting hurt just minutes into the season opener, then tearing his meniscus. Then Prince got hurt. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been in and out of the lineup and is weeks away from his return. AJ Green has missed a few games due to a nagging shoulder injury.
The Bucks need some good fortune.
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