The Milwaukee Bucks are fresh off of a 32-50 season that saw them part ways with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks traded Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat for a plethora of players that should get Milwaukee started on their rebuild. The haul they got for Antetokounmpo should set the Bucks up to be competitive for the upcoming season in terms of trying to finish with a better record than they did this past season.
“Antetokounmpo managed to trim his landing spots to one by telegraphing his feelings on where
he’d re-sign following a trade, so four first-round assets and a quartet of useful young players is a solid haul,” Bleacher Report contributor Andy Bailey wrote.
“Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis and Jaime Jaquez Jr. will join Ryan Rollins, Myles Turner, AJ Green and a pair of exciting rookies—Brayden Burries and Nate Ament—to make the Bucks a relatively interesting and competent team in 2026-27.”
The Bucks have an entirely new core and a new head coach in Taylor Jenkins, which should mix things up in Milwaukee. Given that Antetokounmpo only played 36 games for the Bucks this past season, there is an argument to be made that the Bucks have a better roster than they did last year.
The Bucks were 17-19 when Antetokounmpo was on the floor and 13-33 when he wasn’t. If you look at the haul the Bucks got for Antetokounmpo compared to the Giannis-less team that took the floor most of the year in Milwaukee, one would argue that the team has improved.
If Tyler Herro can stay healthy, he should be the leading scorer for the team, and the ancillary pieces added to surround him could be strong fits for the Bucks in terms of trying to build something.
This isn’t to say the Bucks will finish with a better record than they had last year, but the gap might not be as wide as many think.
Brew Hoop community, how many games do you think the Bucks will win next season? Let us know in the comments.
