The Milwaukee Bucks have made the first of two moves needed to trim their roster to 15 standard contracts ahead of the 4:00 p.m. deadline on October 19, requesting waivers on Pete Nance, Johni Broome, and Jake Stephens. The Bucks announced the news via a media release and also on X:
We have requested waivers on Pete Nance, Johni Broome and Jake Stephens.
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) October 17, 2026
Nance is once again the odd man out, being cut at least in part because of his non-guaranteed contract. On the court, he’d become a fan favourite
and solid glue guy who always made the right play. Playing a career-high 47 games (including six starts) last season for Milwaukee, Nance averaged 5.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 1.0 APG on .515/.420/.364 splits. His standout performance came in April against the Houston Rockets, where he hit 5/9 three-pointers on his way to 23 points and three rebounds.
While Nance isn’t exactly young and full of upside—he turns 27 in February—he made great strides with the Bucks and was an ideal third-string big, especially as a stretch four. But with so many guaranteed contracts on the team and consolidating trades few and far between, Nance’s time on the standard roster has come to an end. Hopefully, he returns to the team on a two-way deal.
In addition to waiving Nance, the Bucks have also waived Broome and Stephens. Broome signed a training camp deal with Milwaukee on October 6 and was never really expected to challenge for the regular season roster. He featured in one preseason contest, putting up four points and three rebounds against the Chicago Bulls. Stephens, a 26-year-old 7-footer, signed with the Bucks in September and made two preseason appearances, averaging 1.5 PPG and 1.0 RPG in 5.3 MPG.
The Bucks now have 16 players on standard contracts, meaning they must still waive another player—or make a two-for-one trade—prior to opening day.
