Bucks cut ties with former 5-star Kentucky recruit who just signed a guaranteed contract

Billy Heyen

Bucks cut ties with former 5-star Kentucky recruit who just signed a guaranteed contract image

The Milwaukee Bucks thought Chris Livingston would be part of their plans this season.

They gave him a guaranteed contract for 2025-26 and everything.

But now, the Bucks have pivoted. 

Livingston was waived on Thursday, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

"Livingston, the last pick in the 2023 NBA draft, signed a guaranteed deal in the offseason with the Bucks, who are in midst of a crunch for their final 15-man roster," Charania wrote on X.

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A native of Akron, Ohio, Livingston was once a high-powered, top-15 recruit to the University of Kentucky.

The Bucks chose him in 2023 with the 58th and final pick in the draft, and he has since appeared in 42 games for Milwaukee.

Livingston played in exactly 21 games in his rookie season and another 21 games in his second season.

He has averaged just 4.7 minutes per game in those contests, with 1.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per contest.

Livingston is a sturdy 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, but he's not an impactful outside shooter, which hurts his overall value.

Given his past pedigree, Livingston will probably get another chance with a team sooner rather than later.

The Bucks could also try to get him onto their G League team, the Wisconsin Herd.

But he won't be opening the year in Milwaukee.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle