Milwaukee Bucks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bucks Notes: Giannis, Lillard, Porter, Trent

March 5th, 2025 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has never been a three-point marksman and is attempting fewer outside shots than ever this season, having gone just 8-of-42 from beyond the arc. However, that decline in three-point tries has coincided with an uptick in shots from the mid-range, where Antetokounmpo is getting more and more comfortable.

Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscription required) takes a closer look at the two-time MVP’s offensive evolution, digging into how favorably his mid-range numbers stack up against his peers. Of the 35 players who have averaged at least 2.5 mid-range attempts per game this season, Giannis ranks seventh with a 46.8% mark, putting him ahead of DeMar DeRozan, Kawhi Leonard, and Jalen Brunson, among several other stars.

“We are seeing a lot of growth in his game,” teammate Taurean Prince said. “It’s crazy to say but he’s getting better. Every day he’s adding on. Obviously the mid-range to his game and now guys gotta kind of step up and respect it. Whether they contest it or feel like he’s going to make it or not that’s up to them, but him adding to that to his game makes him more deadly.”

Despite attempting more mid-range shots, Antetokounmpo continues to score as efficiently as ever. He’s averaging 30.8 points per game with a .604 FG% this year after becoming the first player in NBA history to average at least 30 PPG with a field goal percentage of at least 60% in 2023/24.

Here’s more on the Bucks:

Point guard Damian Lillard took a Clint Capela elbow to the left eye during the first quarter of Tuesday’s win over Atlanta and initially called for a substitution, but he was ultimately able to stay on the court and finish the game. He explained after the victory that his vision blurred after the play, but improved with time. “It got better, it just was hard to keep my eye just open,” Lillard said, according to Owczarski. “My right one I could see clear, this one was just kind of like, blurry. From the impact this side of my face was a little irritated. That was it.”
Reserve guard Kevin Porter Jr., acquired from the Clippers at last month’s deadline, has fit in well in Milwaukee so far. On Tuesday against the Hawks, he scored 15 points in just 12 minutes for the game and was 5-on-5 from the floor in the fourth quarter. “It feels good, just being able to contribute to wins,” he said after the game, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link). “I’ve never been on a winning team or organization. I don’t know winning ways, so that’s what I’ve been learning here. These guys, the environment, the atmosphere, the team – it’s just been team, team, team and I’ve been soaking up the knowledge and wisdom from these guys and it’s been beautiful, honestly.”
Gary Trent Jr., viewed as a steal last summer when he signed a minimum-salary contract with the Bucks, got off to a slow start in Milwaukee and dropped out of the starting lineup just seven games into the season. However, he has bounced back impressively since then and has played some of his best basketball since the trade deadline, Nehm writes for The Athletic. Trent, who will be an unrestricted free agent again in 2025, has made 44.8% of his three-point attempts since November 13 and is averaging 14.3 points per game since the February 6 deadline.

Bucks Promote Ryan Rollins, Sign Jamaree Bouyea To Two-Way

March 4th, 2025 at 8:09pm CST by Luke Adams

March 4: Both roster moves are now official, the Bucks announced in a pair of press releases.

March 3: The Bucks are poised to make a pair of roster moves, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links), who reports that two-way guard Ryan Rollins will be promoted to the standard roster, with guard Jamaree Bouyea getting a two-way contract from the club.

Charania, citing agents Mike Silverman and Brandon Grier, says Rollins is getting a rest-of-season contract from the Bucks, which suggests it’ll be a straight conversion rather than a new multiyear agreement. Assuming that’s the case, Rollins would be eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end.

The No. 44 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Rollins didn’t see much action for Golden State or Washington in his first two NBA seasons, but has emerged as a rotation player for the Bucks in his third year, averaging 4.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 12.5 minutes per night across 39 games (eight starts).

Players on two-way contracts aren’t eligible to be active for more than 50 NBA regular season games in a season and Rollins reached that 50-game limit last Thursday. Once his promotion is official, he’ll once again be able to suit up for the Bucks and will also be eligible to participate in the postseason.

Bouyea, a former San Francisco standout, has bounced around the NBA and G League since going undrafted in 2022, playing for the Heat, Wizards, Trail Blazers, and Spurs at the NBA level, as well as the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Rip City Remix, and Austin Spurs in the NBAGL.

In 28 games this season for San Antonio’s G League affiliate, the 25-year-old has averaged 18.9 points, 4.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per contest, with a shooting line of .501/.343/.816.

No corresponding roster moves will be necessary for the Bucks, who already have an open spot on their 15-man roster. Bouyea, of course, will take the two-way slot vacated by Rollins.

Milwaukee will have 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals once the transactions are complete, but could technically carry one more player on the standard roster until Bobby Portis‘ 25-game suspension is over — players serving suspensions longer than five games can be moved to the suspended list and don’t count against a team’s roster limit until they’re reactivated.

And-Ones: Kerr, Traveling, Draft, Roberts

March 4th, 2025 at 9:17am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors rebounded on Monday from a Saturday loss to Philadelphia, getting back in the win column with a 119-101 victory in Charlotte. But head coach Steve Kerr had a bone to pick after the game, telling reporters that he believes NBA referees let far too many traveling violations go uncalled.

“I don’t understand why we are not teaching our officials to call travel in this league,” Kerr said, per Steve Reed of The Associated Press. “They do a great job and work their tails off and communicate well, but I see five or six travels a game that aren’t called.”

Kerr earned a technical foul in the third quarter on Monday for arguing with officials over what he believes what a travel by Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (video link). Officials let it go and the play resulted in a Warriors foul.

While Kerr was upset in that instance about a non-call that hurt the Warriors, he said his own team is just as guilty as any other, noting that when he watched film of the team’s loss to the Sixers, he noticed four Golden State travels that weren’t called.

“The entire game is based on footwork,” Kerr said. “We need enforce traveling violations and we are not doing it and I don’t understand why. … These (officials) are awesome. They do a great job, and they have a million things to watch, but footwork is the entire basis of the game and we need to call traveling. It will be a much better game if we clean it up.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com (Insider link) have updated their list of this year’s top 100 draft prospects. Texas guard Tre Johnson (No. 11 to No. 5) and French center Joan Beringer (No. 24 to No. 13) are among the big risers in the lottery, while French point guard Nolan Traore has dropped from No. 7 to No. 15 and Israeli guard Ben Saraf has fallen from No. 13 to No. 21.
Just one year ago, Long Island Nets guard Terry Roberts was in the hospital on a ventilator after being shot in the upper chest by a stray bullet. Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required) takes an in-depth look at Roberts’ recovery and his road back to being a regular contributor this season for Brooklyn’s G League affiliate.
With less than six weeks in the 2024/25 regular season, several of ESPN’s NBA reporters pose 19 questions facing teams down the stretch as the playoff races in both conferences heat up. Among those questions: Do the Cavaliers have enough to beat the Celtics? How do the Bucks avoid another early playoff exit? Are the Grizzlies ready to take a step forward in the postseason? And what is the Warriors‘ ceiling?

Stein’s Latest: Mavericks, Luka, Edwards, Knicks, Kessler, Budenholzer

March 3rd, 2025 at 12:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Sam Amick of The Athletic reported last week that the Mavericks reached out to the Timberwolves to inquire about a possible Luka Doncic/Anthony Edwards swap earlier this season before pivoting to the Lakers and Anthony Davis. Veteran Milwaukee-area reporter Gery Woelfel has reported that the Mavs made a similar inquiry with the Bucks about Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Addressing those rumors, NBA insider Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) says he has consistently heard that the Mavericks only discussed Doncic by name with one team: the Lakers.

While Dallas did talk to Minnesota and Milwaukee, according to Stein, those discussions have been described to him as “very brief in nature and intentionally broad and vague,” with no conversations about Doncic specifically.

Here are a few more items of interest from Stein:

Following the expiration of Moses Brown‘s 10-day contract, the Mavericks can’t fill the 15th spot on their standard roster until April 10 due to their hard cap. Promoting two-way player Kessler Edwards, who has played a rotation role in recent weeks and can only be active for 10 more NBA games, is one option Dallas is considering for that final week of the season, league sources tell Stein. However, the team’s decision will depend in part on its health and roster needs as of April 10, Stein notes. While the Mavs have a serious frontcourt shortage right now due to injuries, that may not be the case in five-and-a-half weeks.
The Knicks were “right there” with the Lakers before the trade deadline in trying to pry third-year center Walker Kessler away from the Jazz, league sources tell Stein, who says Utah made it clear to both clubs that it didn’t want to seriously entertain pitches for Kessler during the season. The big man will be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2025 offseason.
Although Stein can’t confirm if Mike Budenholzer‘s job in Phoenix is any actual jeopardy, he says the topic has generated “heightened whispering and curiosity” in coaching circles. The Suns parted ways with Monty Williams in 2023 when he still had three years and $20MM+ left on his contract and let go of Frank Vogel in 2024 just one year into his five-season, $31MM deal. Budenholzer reportedly received a five-year contract worth in excess of $50MM when he was hired by Phoenix last May. His Suns have a 28-33 record and are four games back of the final play-in spot in the West.
In case you missed it, Stein also reported that the Wizards gave real consideration to the idea of reacquiring Bradley Beal from the Suns prior to last month’s trade deadline. However, the teams couldn’t agree to terms and it seems unlikely that Beal would have waived his no-trade clause to return to D.C. anyway.

Meyers Leonard Announces Retirement

March 3rd, 2025 at 7:58am CST by Rory Maher

Former NBA big man Meyers Leonard has officially retired as a basketball player, announcing the news on Instagram (hat tip to Chris Haynes).

After playing a modest role as a freshman at Illinois, Leonard had a breakout sophomore season back in 2011/12 with the Illini and was selected 11th overall in the 2012 draft.

Leonard, who turned 33 years old last week, spent his first seven seasons with the Trail Blazers prior to being traded to the Heat as part of the Jimmy Butler blockbuster in 2019.

Leonard’s time in Miami was not without controversy, as he was fined $50K by the NBA and suspended from all team activities for a week for making an anti-Semitic comment during a Twitch livestream. Shortly after the incident, he was traded to — and subsequently released by — Oklahoma City.

After missing the entire ’21/22 campaign due to an injury, Leonard was able to find a new team in February 2023, signing a pair of 10-day deals and then a rest-of-season contract with the Bucks. He has been a free agent since the 2023 offseason, when his tenure with Milwaukee ended.

Overall, Leonard played parts of 10 NBA seasons, averaging 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game across 456 regular season appearances, including 95 starts. He mostly played center, but he also saw some time at power forward in his first few seasons. Leonard was known for his ability to space the floor, as he held a career mark of 39.0% from three-point range.

Bucks Sign Pete Nance To Two-Way Contract

February 28th, 2025 at 10:54am CST by Tristan Tucker

February 28: The signing is official, the team announced today (via Twitter).

February 27: The Bucks are planning to sign Pete Nance to a two-way contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). They’ll add the former Northwestern and UNC player using the open roster spot they created by waiving Liam Robbins, as we relayed earlier on Thursday.

Nance has played two seasons after going undrafted in 2023, appearing in eight games with the Cavaliers as a rookie in 2023/24 and seven this season with the Sixers. The 6’11” forward spent time on a 10-day pact and two-way contract with Cleveland last season.

Nance was waived by the Cavaliers this past October and was signed twice by the Sixers on a two-way deal, first in December and then in January. He was waived earlier this month.

The younger brother of Larry Nance Jr., Pete Nance has played much more at the G League level, appearing in 18 total games (17 starts) this season with Cleveland and Philadelphia’s developmental teams. In those 18 outings, he’s averaging 15.5 points per game while shooting 37.8% from three.

After Milwaukee adds Nance to his two-way deal, they’ll have 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals. The deadline to sign players to two-way contracts is March 4. Two-way guard Ryan Rollins has just one game left before reaching his two-way limit, so the Bucks may opt to convert him to a standard deal and fill his two-way slot with someone new.

According to The Athletic’s Eric Nehm (Twitter link), Nance’s two-way contract will cover two years.

Bucks Waive Two-Way Center Liam Robbins

February 27th, 2025 at 4:33pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Bucks have waived two-way center Liam Robbins, per NBA.com’s transaction log. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link) first reported the move.

Robbins was converted to a two-way contract after impressing in camp this past summer on an Exhibit 10 deal. The 25-year-old rookie didn’t see much action at the NBA level this season, appearing in 13 games and totaling 57 minutes, nine points, and 12 rebounds.

Robbins played more in the G League with the Bucks’ affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, averaging 20.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field.

The 7’0″ center went undrafted out of Vanderbilt in 2023, catching on with the Pelicans on a training camp deal. However, he suffered a stress fracture in camp with New Orleans and was waived ahead of the season.

Robbins is currently dealing with a groin strain and hasn’t played for either the Bucks or Herd since Jan. 25.

After waiving Robbins, the Bucks will have two players on two-way deals: Ryan Rollins and Stanley Umude. Two-way contracts can’t be signed after March 4, so Milwaukee will likely look to a healthier player in the coming days. The Bucks could promote a player who’s already playing for their G League team or could target a player outside of the organization.

Central Notes: Pistons, Beasley, Haliburton, Giannis, Jackson

February 27th, 2025 at 10:54am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons delivered a statement victory on Wednesday, defeating the Celtics — who entered with a six-game winning streak — by 20 points. Detroit has won eight straight, its longest streak since the 2007/08 season.

“We knew this was going to be a tough challenge for us, but we’re just focused on the process of it all,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “We’re not looking past tonight or at what we’ve done in the past. The only thing we’re focusing on is every single night trying to be the best version of ourselves and tonight I think we were pretty close.”

Malik Beasley, a free agent after the season, continued to provide a huge boost off the bench with 26 points in 22 minutes.

“That shot-making ability just lifts people up,” Bickerstaff said. “When he’s hot and that ball’s in the air, you can tell when the ball leaves his hands and is taking the crowd’s breath away.”

We have more from the Central Division:

Tyrese Haliburton looks rejuvenated after some rest and relaxation during the All-Star break, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star notes. Over the last four games, the Pacers guard is averaging 25.8 points per game on 63.2% shooting, including 52.6% of his 3-point attempts. He’s also averaging 11.8 assists during that stretch, compared to just 1.0 turnover per game. “I’m just playing free, having fun,” Haliburton said. “It always helps to see the first one go in. You just kind of react from there. I just thought I did a good job of staying aggressive all night, doing what was needed.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo was yanked to the floor via a hard foul by Houston’s Amen Thompson Tuesday night but the Bucks superstar said he had “no hard feelings” toward the Rockets‘ wing, according to Kristie Rieken of The Associated Press. Thompson was ejected after an officials’ review. “At the end of the day like you don’t wanna have a league that’s soft,” Antetokounmpo said. “I love guys that play hard. I love guys that they’re great competitors. I’m one of those guys. Sometimes your competitive nature gets in the way (of) making the best decision, the best judgment at the time. And I feel like he wanted to make it a hard foul, but he grabbed my neck.”
Bucks guard Andre Jackson Jr. has seen his minutes shrink this month and coach Doc Rivers indicated that roster moves are the reason, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. “Midseason trade. We brought in other guys that I think fill his role,” Rivers said. “His numbers were not great, with Giannis on the floor, those two guys together.”

Checking In On Open NBA Roster Spots

February 24th, 2025 at 12:06pm CST by Luke Adams

There has been no shortage of free agent signings across the NBA since the trade deadline, but several clubs still have at least one open roster spot as we near the home stretch of the season.

Using our roster counts tracker, let’s check in on which teams have openings and which are most likely to fill them in the short term.

Teams with multiple open spots on their standard 15-man rosters:

New Orleans Pelicans
Sacramento Kings

The Pelicans and Kings are both currently carrying 13 players on standard contracts, which teams are permitted to do for up to 14 days at a time or 28 days in total during a season.

New Orleans dipped down to 13 players last Thursday by buying out Javonte Green, which means the club will have until next Thursday (March 6) to get back to 14 players. Two-way player Brandon Boston is considered a strong candidate for a promotion, though he’s still eight games away from his 50-game limit because he has been out since February 8 with a sprained ankle.

Sacramento, meanwhile, dropped to 13 players when Daishen Nix‘s 10-day contract expired last Monday night. The Kings need to re-add a 14th man by next Tuesday (March 4) in order to adhere to the NBA’s roster rules.

Teams with one open spot on their standard 15-man rosters:

Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Golden State Warriors
- Note: Two of the Warriors’ 14 players are on 10-day contracts.
Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New York Knicks

The Celtics, Bucks, Timberwolves, and Knicks are all deep into luxury tax territory and may not be in any rush to add a 15th man, since that player would cost exponentially more once tax penalties are taken into account. New York is currently restricted by a hard cap but could sign a player as soon as February 28.

The Hawks and Pacers have enough breathing room below the tax not to worry about surpassing that line, so they may look to add someone sooner rather than later, perhaps on a 10-day contract.

The Warriors, meanwhile, will dip back to 12 players once the 10-day contracts for Kevin Knox and Yuri Collins expire this Friday night. Golden State has some hard-cap issues to navigate for the rest of the season and might not want to get back to 14 players right away.

Teams with full standard 15-man rosters that include one 10-day contract:

Brooklyn Nets
Cleveland Cavaliers
Dallas Mavericks
Memphis Grizzlies
San Antonio Spurs
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards

These teams each have 14 players on standard contracts and one on a 10-day deal. With one exception, they’re all below the tax line and could continue cycling through 10-day signings or add a player on a rest-of-season contract when their current 10-day deals expire.

The one exception is Dallas. The Mavericks are right up against their hard cap, so once Moses Brown‘s 10-day contract ends, they won’t be able to bring in a new 15th man (or bring Brown back) until April 10.

Teams with an open two-way slot:

Brooklyn Nets
Golden State Warriors

The Warriors will reportedly fill their open two-way slot with Australian guard Taran Armstrong, so the Nets are really the only team with a two-way spot available, having promoted Tyrese Martin to a standard contract last Thursday.

It’s a pretty safe bet Brooklyn will fill that opening at some point before March 4, which is the deadline for two-way signings. You can also count on several other teams promoting, waiving, and signing two-way players before that deadline.

Eastern Notes: Green, Giannis, Moore, Wizards

February 24th, 2025 at 7:55am CST by Luke Adams

When a buyout opportunity materialized for Javonte Green in New Orleans, Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reached out to the veteran swingman to convey the team’s interest in him and to chat about a number of topics, including some not related to basketball, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).

As Fedor writes, Atkinson knew the 31-year-old from his time with the Warriors — the Cavs’ coach was an assistant under Steve Kerr when Green spent most of last season with Golden State’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. In addition to helping convince Green to sign with the Cavs, Atkinson encouraged Cleveland’s front office to complete the signing, Fedor adds.

The East-leading Cavs improved to 47-10 with their seventh straight win on Sunday, a hard-fought home victory over Memphis. While he didn’t play at all in Sunday’s game after officially joining the team earlier in the day, Green went through shootaround with the club and spoke about his decision to choose Cleveland.

“I just felt like here was the best fit for me,” Green said, per Fedor. “I’m a very team-oriented player and I think this team has that. I think it could be an easy fit for me.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

After missing six games due to a calf strain, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was on a restriction of roughly 24 minutes per night in his first two games back. Prior to Sunday’s contest vs. Miami, head coach Doc Rivers said that restriction would be loosened, though he didn’t specify the new upper limit, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Antetokounmpo ended up logging 32 minutes in Milwaukee’s win over the Heat and racked up 23 points, 16 rebounds, and seven assists.
Third-year wing Wendell Moore, who signed a two-way contract with the Hornets during the All-Star break, was born and raised in the Charlotte area and was thrilled to get the opportunity to join his hometown team, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “It was definitely surreal,” Moore said. “As a kid, we all dream of playing for our hometown team. Few get to do it, but when you do it, it’s definitely an exciting thing. Haven’t got to play a home game yet, but I’m looking forward to playing back at the crib. This team is fun. It’s an exciting team and a close group of guys. I’m excited to be here.”
Wizards newcomers Khris Middleton (ankle injury management) and Marcus Smart (right index finger injury management) both sat out on Sunday in the first half of a back-to-back set, notes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. Head coach Brian Keefe declined to say whether the two veterans, who missed time with those injuries earlier this season, would continue to sit out one end of back-to-backs for the rest of 2024/25.