The Milwaukee Bucks' front office has some difficult decisions to make about the team's upcoming free agents.
Letting go of Brook Lopez and Taurean Prince makes sense to prioritize versatility and cap space. Pat Connaughton will likely opt in to his player option and be salary dumped, one way or another. At least in theory, however, everyone else has a place on next year's roster.
The Bucks may have to pick and choose which players to bring back, leading to some disappointing departures. For both expected and unanticipated farewells, they will need a replacement in mind.
Sticking within a budget, the following list suggests one possible substitute for each pending Bucks free agent.
Center - Brook Lopez: Mark Williams, Charlotte Hornets
The most obvious answer to replacing Lopez is Bobby Portis. However, Portis may or may not exercise his 2025-26 player option; if he doesn't, he could prove too expensive for the Bucks to keep. In that case, or as a potential Portis replacement himself, Mark Williams fits the bill.
Indeed, the Milwaukee Bucks were rumored to be pursuing an athletic big man earlier this season. They could snag Charlotte's center this summer if that remains the case.
The Hornets have already indicated they are willing to deal the 23-year-old seven-footer. If not for a failed physical at the trade deadline, Williams would be a Laker. The Bucks would not be able to match the Lakers' rescinded offer (including multiple picks and rookie Dalton Knecht), but Williams' current trade value has taken a considerable hit due to the failed medical tests plus his injury history (only 106 games played in three years).
Averaging 15.2 points and 10.2 rebounds in 44 games this season, Williams is a production machine when healthy. Despite his injury concerns, he is the type of young, rim-running center fans have been clamoring for. Already a clear starter, he has substantial upside and will likely be available at a discount. Assuming the Hornets exercise his $6.3 million team option for next season, Milwaukee could acquire him in a trade.
At a reasonable asking price, Williams is someone the Bucks should seriously consider targeting.
Center/Power forward - Bobby Portis: Paul Reed, Detroit Pistons
If Portis doesn't exercise his option and the Bucks replace Lopez with a starter like Williams, they will be free to account for a Portis departure by signing a cheap, capable reserve. Enter Paul Reed, who made $1.5 million in 2024-25 and is not poised for any significant raise.
A productive backup for Philadelphia, Reed was used sparingly in Detroit this year. He has produced when he plays, though, averaging 7.3 points and six rebounds in 2023-24 as a 76er. Including a season-best 30-point game, his scoring increased noticeably from January to the end of that season.
The 6-foot-9 Reed is better suited to play power forward, so the team could optimize his positioning by rostering an adequate backup center. Still just 25, he offers buy-low value that can be parlayed into a bigger signing at another position.
Center - Jericho Sims: Jaxson Hayes, Los Angeles Lakers
After being benched in the first round against Minnesota, Jaxson Hayes may not be a part of the Lakers' long-term plans. He is, however, a better version of the Bucks' Jericho Sims at a marginally greater cost. Paid $2.5 million in 2024-25, Hayes statistically improved upon his last two years but still fell short of his best days in New Orleans. His postseason benching does not help his case. Even so, his 6.8 points and 4.8 boards exceeded Sims' career bests in either category. If Hayes' price tag stays low, he is a higher-floor, higher-ceiling option the Milwaukee Bucks could certainly pursue.
Guard - Gary Trent Jr.: Caris LeVert, Atlanta Hawks
To be clear, the front office should make re-signing Gary Trent Jr. a high priority. His ability to score in bunches is something the Bucks will need more than ever with Lillard likely to miss time next season. Trent is due more than the $2.6 million he made this season, but the Bucks have assets, such as a $7.2 million trade exception, that would enable them to pay him.
If they fail to bring back Trent, however, they could throw all or part of their $14.1 non-taxpayer midlevel exception at Caris LeVert.
LeVert could accept a moderate pay cut from his $16.6 million salary in 2024-25 to play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. The nine-year vet still has plenty of juice. When his shot attempts rose after being traded from Cleveland this season, so did his scoring average, to its highest (14.9 points per game) since 2021-22 in Indiana. Just as importantly, he did not need an abundance of shots to get there (11.6 attempts).
Something of a career sixth man, LeVert could start or come off the bench, a better version of what Kevin Porter Jr. was for the Bucks' second unit this season. He also has decent size (6-foot-6), enabling him to play the wing. Like Trent, he is a veteran who can energize the offense with scoring bursts. He also moves the rock (4.0 career assists average) and provides supplementary rebounding.
In both of those areas, he would be an improvement on Trent, helping to justify the higher price if the Milwaukee Bucks could not land a more economical option. Because of his track record as a scorer and experience as an auxiliary facilitator, signing LeVert would function as a hedge against the potential departures of either Trent or Porter.
In an overpriced, suboptimal free agency landscape for backcourt scoring threats, LeVert would be an acceptable substitute for Trent.
Guard - Kevin Porter Jr.: Markelle Fultz, Sacramento Kings
Kevin Porter Jr. has a $2.5 million player option for 2025-26. If he opts out and does not re-sign, the Bucks will be in urgent need of a point guard with Lillard out indefinitely following Achilles surgery. Like Porter, the Kings' Markelle Fultz presents an intriguing reclamation project after playing just 64 games since 2023, when he averaged 13.9 points and 5.7 assists for Orlando. Coming off a one-year, $982K deal with Sacramento, he offers a low-cost opportunity to redevelop a quality point guard.
Even if Fultz can't return to starter status, he has upside as a backup if granted health and a chance. This season, he played just 21 games at 8.8 minutes per contest. Fultz is a restricted free agent, so the Kings can match other teams' offers, but based on his playing time, it would be surprising if they competed to keep him. In a cost-conservative approach to replacing Porter, he could be the Bucks' diamond in the rough.
Guard - Ryan Rollins: Dante Exum, Dallas Mavericks
The Bucks should waste no time re-signing Ryan Rollins, a promising 3-and-D guard at age 22, for multiple seasons. If for some reason they don't, though, the 6-foot-5 Exum supplies positional versatility, 3-point shooting and defensive effort. Those are all things the Milwaukee Bucks would welcome having.
It's a small sample, but since returning to the NBA after two years playing in Europe, Exum has canned 47 percent of his 3-pointers in 161 attempts. Injuries have been a problem, as offseason wrist surgery and a broken hand limited his 2024-25 campaign to 20 games. When available for Dallas, however, he contributed solid minutes, often as a starter, playing on a two-year, $6.2 million contract. The veteran wing could provide the same for Milwaukee.
Wing - Taurean Prince: John Tonje, NBA Draft
Taurean Prince might be as unappreciated as possible for a guy who played 80 games, started most of the year and led the team in 3-point percentage (43.9). After he was played off the court in the playoffs, though, it's hard to blame fans who don't want him back. Aside from sniping, Prince doesn't provide much else. He doesn't rebound, he isn't a facilitator and he lacks the desired agility or handle of a guard.
The Bucks could do worse than to replace a portion of Prince's minutes with John Tonje, a sixth-year senior from Wisconsin. A career 37.8 percent 3-point shooter in college, Tonje is capable, though not elite, from beyond the arc, and unlike many rookies, should be able to contribute right off the bat thanks to his experience and physical maturity.
Listed at 6-foot-5, 218 pounds, he has the size and ball-handling to play either the two or the three and can score from everywhere on the floor. He has also demonstrated a knack for getting to the line. Shooting 91 percent at the stripe helped him average 19.6 points on under 12 field goal attempts per game for the Badgers.
While he will encounter greater physicality at the pro level, he has the physique to assert himself. Not least among his attributes, Tonje's ceiling is also relatively uncapped compared to that of Prince, who has established himself almost exclusively as a sharpshooter.
Finally, replacing a chunk of Prince's minutes via the draft would leave the Bucks a veteran minimum salary to use on another signee. Projected to be in range for the Bucks, who have the 47th pick in this year's draft, Tonje is an overlooked prospect already primed to supplement an NBA rotation.
Wing - Pat Connaughton: Chris Livingston, Milwaukee Bucks
Pat Connaughton will almost certainly exercise his $9.4 million player option for next season. Assuming he does, the Bucks will then be tasked with unloading him. He could, for instance, serve as salary filler in a Mark Williams trade, though persuading any team to absorb Connaughton's salary would likely mean sending an extra second round pick.
In any case, the Bucks don't need to get a player back for Connaughton; they have an in-house replacement in 2023 second-rounder Chris Livingston.
Thus far, Livingston has not shown much development, appearing mostly in garbage time. It's not, though, as if Connaughton was a regular contributor. Given a proper trial, Livingston could replace him quite seamlessly, without the Milwaukee Bucks having to waste a veteran minimum deal or draft pick. If they guarantee Livingston's 2025-26 salary, it would be wise to see what he can provide.