For the primary time since 2012-13, the Milwaukee Bucks will enter a season with out Giannis Antetokounmpo on the roster.
One of many league’s greatest “will they/will not they” sagas lastly ended simply earlier than the draft in June, when the Bucks despatched the two-time MVP ahead to the Miami Warmth for a commerce bundle headlined by guard Tyler Herro and a haul of draft picks.
How will this younger roster fare in Season 1 post-Giannis? And are extra strikes on the best way for Milwaukee?
ESPN’s workers of specialists is trying again on the offseason and taking an early have a look at the 2026-27 season for all 30 groups, with 30 items — one for each staff — rolling out every weekday by means of Sept. 18. We’re answering the most important looming questions, evaluating X elements and rather more for all 30 groups.
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Offseason at a look
Key additions: Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, Caris LeVert
Key retentions: Gary Trent Jr.
Key subtractions: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis
After 13 seasons, the Giannis period led to Milwaukee with a mega commerce to the Warmth — and the 2026-27 season will mark a significant shift for the rebuilding franchise. The Bucks employed coach Taylor Jenkins to determine a tradition. They added 4 new gamers from Miami, together with former All-Star and Wisconsin native Tyler Herro, and chosen Brayden Burries with the No. 10 choose in June. The Bucks will enter the season with an ill-fitting mixture of gamers and low expectations, however they’ve the luxurious to see what sticks long run. — Jamal Collier
Zach Kram’s offseason grade: B
Of their long-awaited commerce of Antetokounmpo, the Bucks landed a powerful haul of draft picks and decently intriguing younger gamers from Miami. Might they’ve set themselves up even higher for the longer term in the event that they’d traded their main profession scorer a 12 months earlier? In all probability. However taking this offseason in a vacuum, Milwaukee bought its greatest transfer principally proper. — Kram
What we realized over the previous few months
From Ben Golliver’s offseason classes piece: The Giannis commerce was solely the start of Milwaukee’s ache.
Let’s you’ll want to lengthen most sympathy to Bucks followers, who’re nonetheless processing Antetokounmpo’s long-anticipated departure. It at all times hurts to lose a franchise icon, and this one is doubly painful as a result of Milwaukee and Miami engaged in a number of playoff battles lately.
Although Antetokounmpo’s exit was preceded by years of commerce rumors, the Bucks did not slide easily right into a rebuilding effort. The excellent news: They despatched Portis’ contract to the Warmth. The unhealthy information: They have not but discovered a taker for Myles Turner, who was signed to a four-year, $107 million contract final summer season in a failed try to appease Antetokounmpo. The actually unhealthy information: They inexplicably signed Trent to a four-year, $64 million contract this month after one of many worst seasons of his profession, a deal that’s already underneath investigation by the NBA. — Golliver
The massive query: What is going to outline success this season?
The Bucks are in a rebuild however do not personal their 2027 draft choose. (With altering lottery odds, tanking would not make sense, anyway.) With as much as 12 gamers having a case for respectable taking part in time, will the franchise prioritize creating youthful gamers corresponding to Ryan Rollins and Burries, and switch the keys over to Herro, Turner and Trent to remain aggressive in a deep Jap Convention? The Bucks may very well be chasing a spot within the 9-10 play-in if all goes effectively. However within the post-Antetokounmpo period, the franchise can be seeking to discover a long-term path. — Collier
Basketball Energy Index rank: No. 28
Listed here are the expected Internet Factors per 100 possessions for the Bucks’ top-seven gamers for the 2026-27 season:
I like to have a look at how usually a staff wins when a participant performs over an extended time frame. It captures high quality and sturdiness, albeit imperfectly. I used to be stunned that this new-look Bucks staff had gamers whose sum of staff wins ranked seventeenth leaguewide, forward of groups such because the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks. Based mostly on this, I nonetheless suppose the Bucks can be unhealthy, however not as unhealthy as their twenty eighth rating in BPI. — Dean Oliver
Examine how Internet Factors works right here.
Greatest X issue
C Kel’el Ware
Of the 4 gamers Milwaukee acquired from Miami within the Antetokounmpo commerce, Herro and Jaquez are principally identified portions at this level, and 2025 first-round choose Jakucionis should struggle for taking part in time with an enormous group of high quality guards. However 2024 first-round choose Ware has untapped upside and a clearer path to taking part in time, with solely veterans Turner and Kyle Kuzma at the moment forward of him on the middle/energy ahead depth chart.
Ware can rating inside, make 3-pointers and defend the rim, however a scarcity of consistency meant he by no means absolutely gained Erik Spoelstra’s belief in Miami. With the Bucks, he ought to have loads of alternative to search out firmer footing as a foundational constructing block. — Kram
Betting perception from our professional
Guess to make forward of the season: Underneath 24.5 wins (+110)
The Bucks had a internet ranking of minus-7.7 factors per sport in 46 video games with out Antetokounmpo final season. Although this season’s lineup can be completely different, the Bucks embraced a rebuild once they traded Antetokounmpo this offseason and final season’s “with out Giannis” numbers make an inexpensive estimate of their anticipated degree this season. Throughout the previous 4 NBA seasons, not one of the 16 groups with level differentials worse than minus-7.5 gained greater than 22 video games, with a median of 19.2 wins. — André Snellings
Odds by DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publication.
