The Milwaukee Bucks franchise and its fans are officially in a new era: life without Giannis Antetokounmpo. Now comes the tricky part: What can the Bucks do next to get out of what will be an uncertain future for the franchise?
For the first time since 2012-13, the Bucks will enter an NBA season with Antetokounmpo not on the roster. Despite all the hurdles in a potential Giannis move, a blockbuster deal for the superstar eventually became a reality.
While Giannis will look to carve out a new chapter with the Miami Heat, Milwaukee itself must also now turn the page. Where does the franchise go from here, and how can it get back to being relevant?
Milwaukee Bucks Are Navigating a Complicated Pick Situation
The most notable challenge for Milwaukee is rebuilding without full control of its own draft picks. The Bucks do not outright control their first-round selection until 2031, which is five seasons from now.
On the one hand, Milwaukee won’t necessarily have to worry about the league’s new anti-tanking rules. That’s because it won’t be able to manipulate its own standing in the lottery. On the other hand, this also means that although the Bucks won’t be as good post-Giannis, they won’t have those high-end first-rounders to acquire young talent.
For starters, the Bucks need to emphasize patience. It is a long road ahead for the franchise. Attempting shortcuts on any rebuild effort will only do more harm than good.
Milwaukee acquired quite the haul from Miami in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. That includes three younger prospects in Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, and Kasparas Jakučionis. They also acquired Miami’s No. 13 pick in the 2026 Draft, which they used to select Tennessee forward Nate Ament to pair with their own No. 10 selection in Arizona guard Brayden Burries.
Currently, none of those names are superstar names. That said, it is a large group of young players to start developing under Taylor Jenkins, the Bucks’ new head coach. Keep in mind: Jenkins previously did the same with a young team in the Memphis Grizzlies.
Internally, Milwaukee will need to get better at finding diamonds in the rough.
In the Giannis Era, the Bucks managed to both draft and keep two rotation players: Malcolm Brogdon and Donte DiVincenzo. That’s it. Milwaukee never really had the right talent assessment or development system to keep churning out rotation players to complement the superstar.
That will need to change as well, especially given the Milwaukee Bucks’ complicated situation.
Bucks Ownership Must Sort Out the Rest of the Roster
Even after trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks still have more moves to make.
The goal should be two-fold: maximize the value of any remaining veterans and get assets in return. Myles Turner will be the next biggest domino to fall.
Turner is still 30 and provides a valuable skill set for any NBA team: rim protection and three-point shooting. The veteran center is guaranteed under contract for the next two years at a fair price (around $27 million per season) with a player option three years from now. He is someone Milwaukee should consider moving to start restocking the cupboards and resetting the team’s cap sheet.
As part of the Giannis deal, the Bucks also acquired one-time All-Star Tyler Herro. Herro’s situation is different than Turner’s. The 27-year-old guard will be an unrestricted free agent after the upcoming season. Similar to Turner, Milwaukee is likely to explore all options, including trading away its newest addition.
Even once the Giannis Antetokounmpo move becomes official, the Bucks will remain underwater on their cap situation.
Milwaukee Bucks’ Fans Must Brace for Hard Times Ahead
It can’t be overstated: The Milwaukee Bucks won’t be one of the best in the league for quite some time.
Milwaukee remains a subpar destination for free agents. While the team does have draft assets from Miami as part of the Giannis trade, the lack of control over its own draft picks makes any rebuilding effort challenging. Teams that deal away their franchise cornerstones tend to be quite bad in the years after.
In short, it’s going to be a difficult road ahead. And that road might be several years long.
With Giannis on the roster, the Milwaukee Bucks had a stretch of nine straight playoff appearances. It peaked with a 60-win campaign in 2019, the team’s first since the eighties. The franchise won its title in 50 years. It was a story for the ages. Now, it’s over.
And with that, the book has closed, and a new one is opening for the Milwaukee Bucks.
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