With no player/team options, five Milwaukee Bucks will officially hit NBA Free Agency this off-season when teams are allowed to start negotiating on June 30.
Those players range from key starters to end of the bench guys, and obviously, it would be shocking if the team kept every single one and ran it back. Changes will be made, and some of these guys will be donning different jerseys next season. With all of that said, let us predict where each of the Bucks bracing for free agency will ultimately sign.
Danilo Gallinari - OKC Thunder
After a tremendous regular season, the OKC Thunder could not overcome the Dallas Mavericks' size in the postseason. They need to get bigger this off-season, and with two of their veteran centers in Mike Muscala and Bismack Biyombo set to enter the free agent pool, their front office might have to look at external options.
One such option could be Danilo Gallinari. The forward, having split last season between three teams, didn't dazzle anywhere, and he wouldn't be viewed as a game-changer for OKC. However, he could be a nice depth addition to this roster, giving them an experienced veteran capable of playing both of the forward positions and center.
Gallinari is no stranger to Oklahoma City, having played there during the 2019-20 season, where he was a key cog for them. He wouldn't be tasked with providing such production this time around, but such a young team could use a veteran who could serve as a depth piece while providing leadership. On a minimum deal, it would be low-risk.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo - Milwaukee Bucks (Eventually)
More than any other year since this tradition began, the Bucks re-signing Thanasis Antetokounmpo seems to be in jeopardy. It's not because he's not good enough to make a team or that he rubbed someone the wrong way; it's mostly because he's currently not healthy and won't be for the foreseeable future.
Shortly after Milwaukee's season ended, it was announced that Thanasis had suffered a torn Achilles, one of the most devastating injuries in all of sports. The timetable on these injuries can be muddy, but they typically take close to a year. Still, per Harris Stavrou of SPORT24, Antetokounmpo is aiming for a return to action in six months.
Given the fact that he's going to be unable to play for the next six months and maybe more, the Bucks could very well opt not to sign Thanasis and have him take up a useable roster spot, instead allowing him to rehab back to full health. However, whenever he gets cleared to return to basketball activities, perhaps they could then pick him up. That would make sense to keep roster flexibility for now.
The only potential roadblock in that line of thinking is wondering if a team would be willing to pick him up despite the injury. Last off-season, the New York Knicks were a legitimate suitor for the forward, seemingly trying to get Thanasis to potentially entice Giannis Antetokounmpo. With Giannis having signed an extension last off-season, it's unlikely a team would now do that, but it's not impossible.
For now, Thanasis must focus on rehabbing.
Jae Crowder - Miami Heat
After he failed to play a prominent role in two consecutives playoff runs, it now seems safe to say the Jae Crowder experiment was a swing and a miss for the Bucks. With his role fading into obscurity in the big moments, the two sides will almost certainly head their separate ways this off-season.
For the Bucks, it's time to cut down on the heavy reliance on veterans and implement some youth into the mix, so letting Crowder walk could potentially free minutes for younger, more athletic wings, such as MarJon Beauchamp and Andre Jackson Jr. At 33 years old and battling injuries over the past two years, it's clear that Crowder has lost a step.
For Crowder, he'll likely aim to go somewhere where he believes he can compete at the highest level and play decent minutes. A team that could offer him both is the Miami Heat. Crowder is familiar with the Heat, having played there during the hectic 2019-20 season. Down in the bubble, he did his part in propelling them to the NBA Finals. He's got familiarity with most of that roster and coaching staff.
While the Bucks won the Crowder bidding war at the NBA Trade Deadline in 2023, the Heat were right on their tail, with The Athletic's Shams Charania (subscription required) reporting they were among the teams interested in him during that timeframe. It wouldn't be surprising if the Heat reignited that interest in bringing him back, this time as a free agent.
Malik Beasley - Orlando Magic
The Milwaukee Bucks are almost certainly going to lose Malik Beasley this off-season. From the start, he was viewed as a one-year rental, having inked a deal worth the minimum to showcase his talents under the bright spotlight with a contender. The Athletic's Kelly Iko (subscription required) says the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors and Orlando Magic are now all interested in the guard.
Of those three teams, the Orlando Magic might be the likeliest suitor. Not only are they set to have a bunch of spending money this off-season, but they have a dire need for more perimeter shooting on their roster. Beasley, who just shot a career best 41.3 percent from deep this past season, could help patch that hole on their roster, giving them an excellent complementary 3-point shooter.
Beasley could instantly be a crucial cog for the Magic, serving as a floor-spacer for Paolo Banchero, their franchise star. That's a role Beasley is quite familiar with, having done the same exact thing for Giannis Antetokounmpo this season and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers the year prior.
The Bucks will not be outbidding any teams for Beasley. To fill his shoes, they should give A.J. Green a promotion, given that he checks off a lot of the same boxes as Beasley in terms of what they produce. They were arguably the two best perimeter shooters on the team this season, and having Green at a fraction of the cost while still getting electric shooting could be a big win for the franchise.
Patrick Beverley - Milwaukee Bucks
Among their own free agents, Patrick Beverley should be the top priority for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Upon coming over at the trade deadline, the veteran guard brought much-needed doses of intensity and perimeter defense. Both of those attributes helped him work his way into the starting five by the end of the regular season. Milwaukee's need for defense and intensity won't be going away anytime soon, so retaining Beverley would be a reasonable move.
One potential objection to keeping Beverley is the fact that he will be 36 soon. For a writer who has clamored for more youth time and time again, wanting to retain him may seem puzzling. However, Beverley is among a few veterans who have proven they can help this team despite their age, which was on display to close the season.
On a recent episode of "The Pat Bev Podcast," Beverley said that he'd love to be back in Milwaukee next season. However, this is not an open and shut case, as he also expressed a desire to see a bump in pay. That could post a potential problem, but it still seems likely that these two parties could get a new deal figured out. They appear to be a perfect match for one another.
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