One of the last dominoes that could fall for the Milwaukee Bucks this summer is a potential contract extension for newcomer Jaime Jaquez Jr. As the deal deadline nears, securing a significant payday and cementing his long-term future in Milwaukee might sound appealing, but as Jaquez pointed out at Bucks media day, he's not worried about it either way. His day will come sooner or later.
"I'd say I approach it the same way I approach every day: just trying to be professional as I can be. I'm here to work right now. My contract is the one that's going into next year. That's really the only one I can really worry about... Whatever happens, will happen."
Jaquez has every reason to bypass extension
In his roundup of extension predictions for the 2023 draft class, Spotrac's Keith Smith predicted that Jaquez would secure a four-year deal worth $83 million. That's generational wealth that no shortage of players would take in an instant. Yet, seeing fellow 2023 draftees like Amen and Ausar Thompson and Keyonte George cash out on far richer deals has to have him thinking bigger.
While Jaquez might not be a $150 million player, a career year with the Milwaukee Bucks could easily push him past the $83 million projection and land him over $100 million on his next deal. That makes all of the silence surrounding a potential extension between the two sides happening before Oct. 19 all the more understandable. Jaquez likely wants to prove his worth on a greater scale.
Jaquez has clear runway to succeed with Bucks
No decisions have been made yet, as the Milwaukee Bucks just started training camp, but Jaquez has the edge to be the team's starting small forward this season, it seems. Considering he has started in just 38 games across his first three seasons, it would be the most significant opportunity of his NBA career, giving him an opportunity to exceed last season's career year.
In 2025-26, Jaquez finished second in the Sixth Man of the Year running, posting career numbers in basically every category. Now, the natural evolution for the forward would be to make the leap into a starting role and see what he can do with an even bigger opportunity. If he were to capitalize, a fresh, massive deal could fall into his lap next summer.
It could be the kind of hefty contract that makes pushing off talks this summer completely worth it if that is ultimately the route taken. For now, though, Jaquez is rightfully focused on the present. As he mentioned, he can only focus on the present, which he seems eager to do in this new environment. If he's willing to bet on himself, perhaps it could motivate him even more with the Bucks.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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