The Milwaukee Bucks have undergone a significant roster transformation in 2025-26.
Sporting just a 10-15 record on the year in the relatively attainable Eastern Conference, the club is off to a bumpy start. Milwaukee will also be in for some rough sledding in the short term, as the club's best player and only All-Star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, will be unavailable for the next two-to-four weeks with a calf strain.
The two-time league MVP has been rumored to be fairly unhappy with his team's direction, and at least open to considering a trade out of town.
A Summer of Changes for Milwaukee
After nine-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard ruptured his Achilles tendon during the playoffs for Milwaukee in last spring's playoffs, Bucks general manager Jon Horst made a surprise decision to stretch and waive Lillard's final remaining $112.6 million owed for the next two years. Horst will now pay Lillard $22.5 million across the next five years for some additional cap space.
This season, that real estate was used to ink 3-and-D center Myles Turner to a four-year, $108.9 million deal, after longtime starting center Brook Lopez (a) was roundly outplayed by Turner during the playoffs and (b) left for the LA Clippers in free agency. Lopez is now out of LA's rotation, so replacing him may have been the right play.
Portis declined the final season of his former contract to ink a three-year, $43.6 million deal with the Bucks this summer.
But the Bucks are still without a second star player sans Lillard. They also brought in free agents Cole Anthony, Amir Coffey and Gary Harris, but only Anthony has cracked the team's rotation. Point guard Ryan Rollins and wing AJ Green have grown in a major way, while forward Kyle Kuzma has rebounded from a terrible playoff run. Reserve guard Pat Connaughton was offloaded in a summer trade.
One of the few remnants from Milwaukee's 2021 championship run with Antetokounmpo, sixth man big Bobby Portis Jr., recently reflected on the club's turnover and how it has impacted his role.
"I think now just trying to take everything with a grain of salt. Obviously totally different team [than] years past. Went from the oldest team last year to top ten youngest team," Portis told NBA insider Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson. "So just being more of a veteran leader, leading my voice, using my voice, talking, helping as much as I can, and bringing energy every day. That doesn’t change. I just think the leadership has evolved over the years since being here, especially since my first season here in 2020 and sixth year here now with the Bucks. So every year, ask you to do something different and just making the making the right adjustment."