Bucks Rumors

Giannis Antetokounmpo Confirmed For EuroBasket

July 23rd, 2025 at 12:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has confirmed his participation in EuroBasket, according to a tweet from FIBA EuroBasket.

Antetokounmpo was already on Greece’s 19-man preliminary roster for the tournament, but this indicates he’ll once again represent his home country. He’s been on the country’s national team since 2014, appearing in a total of 37 official games in major FIBA tournaments.

Antetokounmpo was the leading scorer at EuroBasket 2022 but Greece was eliminated by Germany in the quarterfinals. He averaged 29.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks in six games.

It was a similar story in last year’s Summer Olympics. The two-time NBA MVP averaged a tournament high 25.8 points along with 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists in four games but Greece was once again knocked out by Germany.

Speculation regarding his status with the Bucks has cooled this summer. Team president Peter Feigin said this month that the organization was in a “good place” with its franchise player. Milwaukee was eliminated by Indiana in the first round of the playoffs despite Antetokounmpo averaging 33 points, 15.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists during the series.

Central Notes: Pistons Offseason, Robinson, Buzelis, Prince

July 23rd, 2025 at 12:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There’s still some unfinished business for the Pistons this offseason, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press writes in a subscriber-only story.

They could use a proven floor-spacer who can play power forward after trading Simone Fontecchio. Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland could attempt to fill that role behind starter Tobias Harris, but they’re undersized for that position.

The Pistons have a $14.3MM trade exception at their disposal, courtesy of their sign-and-trade transaction with Sacramento involving Dennis Schröder. They could use it in a variety of ways but don’t necessarily need to take advantage of it this offseason, since it doesn’t expire until next summer, Sankofa notes. They also must try to finalize rookie scale extensions with starters Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey.

We have more from the Central Division:

Acquired by the Pistons in a sign-and-trade with Miami, Duncan Robinson told Hunter Patterson of The Athletic that he works on the mental aspects of the game as much as his physical skills. “Having resilience has been, sort of, the calling card of who I aspire to be,” he said. “I’m a big believer in that, learning how to deal with setbacks and challenges is a skill as much as shooting or dribbling. And the skill is honed and acquired through repetition. The only way you can get better at dealing with it is having gone through it. So, that’s one area of my career where I feel like I’ve been very fortunate is that from a young age. … I was challenged early on, (asking myself), ‘Is this what you want to do? Is this what you want to be?’ And I always just kept coming back to, ‘Yeah, I mean, this is. I love basketball more than anything. It’s what I do, not necessarily who I am. But in terms of the game itself, it’s given me more than I ever could imagine.”
During his second NBA season, Bulls forward Matas Buzelis will be tasked with initiating the offense and being a creator much more often than he was as a rookie, according to Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune. Buzelis got a taste of that during his two Summer League games, as plays were drawn up for him with that in mind. “Being a primary, secondary ball handler is like second nature to me,” he said. “I used to play (point guard) when I was younger, so it’s not really anything new to me. I think it’s just going to get better with time.”
Forward Taurean Prince waived his implied no-trade clause in his two-year, veteran’s minimum contract with the Bucks, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets. Prince signed the contract earlier this month. As Smith explains, Prince had an implied no-trade clause because the second year includes a player option and and he would lose his Early Bird rights if he’s traded and opts out.

Marcus Smart To Join Lakers After Buyout With Wizards

July 20th, 2025 at 5:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

July 20: Smart has officially reached a buyout agreement with the Wizards and been placed on waivers, the team announced (via Twitter).

July 19: Marcus Smart has reached an agreement on a buyout with the Wizards and plans to join the Lakers once he clears waivers, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. Smart’s new contract will be worth $11MM over two years and will contain a player option for the second season.

Sources tell Charania that Luka Doncic played a large role in recruiting Smart to L.A. He adds that the Lakers, Suns and Bucks all received permission from Washington to contact Smart, and he had “positive conversations” with all three teams.

The Lakers can use their full bi-annual exception to add Smart, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link). They’ll have to clear about $4.2MM in salary to have access to the full amount, which may mean parting with Shake Milton, who has a $3MM non-guaranteed salary, and Jordan Goodwin, who only has a $25K guarantee on his $2.35MM salary.

If that happens, L.A. wouldn’t have enough available apron space to sign a 15th man before the start of the season, as Gozlan notes (Twitter link).

Milton’s salary for 2025/26 will become fully guaranteed after Sunday, so the Lakers will have to act fast if they plan to waive him.

If Smart gives back the equivalent of the bi-annual exception in his buyout, the Wizards will be more than $30MM below the luxury tax, Gozlan adds. Washington has its full $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception remaining, along with $13.4MM and $9.9MM trade exceptions.

Smart, 31, was named Defensive Player of the Year with Boston in 2022, but his career took a downturn after a trade to Memphis in the summer of 2023. Injuries limited him to 39 total games in a year and a half with the Grizzlies before he was sent to Washington in a three-team deal at this year’s trade deadline.

If Smart can stay healthy, he’ll bring much-needed defensive help to the Lakers’ backcourt. He appeared in 19 games with Memphis and 15 games with the Wizards last season, averaging 9.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 20 minutes per night with .393/.348/.761 shooting numbers.

The Wizards have added numerous young players to their roster this summer, so there likely wouldn’t have been regular playing time for Smart, who had a $21.6MM expiring contract. There were rumors last month that Smart was on the trade market, but the Wizards evidently couldn’t find a team willing to take on his salary.

Fischer’s Latest: Simmons, Brogdon, Kuminga, Celtics

July 20th, 2025 at 10:32am CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings and Knicks appear to be the most likely destinations for Ben Simmons in free agency, Jake Fischer said in a recent Bleacher Report stream (hat tip to BasketNews). Simmons, who played 51 combined games with the Nets and Clippers last season, is one of several prominent veterans who remain unsigned.

“We are still anticipating the Kings to be bringing in another veteran guard, and Ben Simmons is on that list of potential targets, in addition to Russell Westbrook, to Malcolm Brogdon, and I think he’d make an interesting addition there,” Fischer said. “I personally think Ben Simmons would be interesting in Minnesota, but I haven’t heard that they have interest in him.”

Sacramento currently has 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, along with non-guaranteed deals for Keon Ellis ($2.3MM) and Terence Davis ($2.5MM), so there’s flexibility to add an established guard. The Kings are nearly $9.9MM below the first apron.

Simmons, 29, was a rotation player with Brooklyn before being waived in early February, averaging 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 33 games. His role was reduced once he joined the Clippers, but he still offers versatility and defensive upside.

Fischer shared a few more rumors in his stream:

The Bucks likely won’t pursue Brogdon after landing Cole Anthony, but Fischer said there’s still plenty of interest around the league in the veteran guard. Along with the Kings, he names the Pelicans, Timberwolves and Warriors as potential landings spots for Brogdon, who appeared in 24 games with Washington last season.
Fischer doesn’t believe the Warriors have enough interest in Bulls center Nikola Vucevic to make him the main piece in a potential Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade. Vucevic has an expiring contract, and Golden State is expected to fill its need for a stretch five by signing Al Horford. Chicago is among several teams that have expressed interest in Kuminga, but Fischer says the most likely scenario has him remaining with the Warriors on “a short-term agreement.”
The Celtics remain active on the trade market as they try to get their roster younger and cheaper, Fischer adds. He states that Boston had discussions with the Grizzlies recently, but doesn’t provide any other details. He states that rival teams believe the Celtics are trying to unload both Anfernee Simons and Georges Niang.

Bucks GM Discusses Portis, Trent, Green, Anthony, More

July 19th, 2025 at 12:28pm CST by Rory Maher

We relayed several comments Bucks general manager Jon Horst made earlier this week an extensive interview with Eric Nehm of The Athletic, including the decision to waive-and-stretch Damian Lillard in order to sign center Myles Turner to a four-year, $109MM deal.

The second portion of Nehm’s interview with Horst is less focused on macro-level decision-making and more centered around the smaller — but perhaps no less important — moves Milwaukee has made this offseason, including re-signing Bobby Portis, Gary Trent Jr., Kevin Porter Jr., Ryan Rollins and Taurean Prince. Horst also discussed extension talks with sharpshooter A.J. Green and adding Cole Anthony in free agency, among other topics.

Here are a few highlights from Nehm’s conversation with Horst, which is worth checking out in full for those who subscribe to The Athletic:

On being “nervous as hell” about the possibility of losing Portis in free agency and the impact the veteran forward/center has had on the Bucks:

“I did not want to go through a season, a practice, a day without Bobby Portis as part of the team that I’m a part of. I think Bobby is so much the ethos of who we are. He is the underdog. He fights. He grinds. There’s no one that cares more, in my opinion, about the Milwaukee Bucks than Bobby. He loves the Milwaukee Bucks. He feels like it’s a family, it’s a city and a fan base that’s embraced him. It’s an organization that’s embraced him. And he continues to give back to our organization and take less on the margins and do different things here and there.

“I felt like it was a tough negotiation with his agent, Mark Bartelstein, who I love in this business as much as anybody, and I thought we got to the right place. But it was a tough negotiation. Bobby chose us. Bobby wasn’t short on options, but he wanted to be here. He wants to win, and he wants to with this group of guys. He loves playing with Giannis (Antetokounmpo). He loves the things that we’ve done in free agency. He was high on the guys that we brought back. He and I talked a lot about the roster and just his thoughts on different guys. And I’m just really excited he’s with us.”

On the strong playoff showings of Trent and Green:

“… I think Gary Trent had his two best games of the season, maybe, in our two most important games of the season. In two closeout opportunities, the guy played unbelievable. And A.J. Green was unbelievable also, and I think that says a lot about them. And don’t forget, these guys are 25, 26 years old, so they’re just entering their prime. And so I think the best is in front of those guys. I’m happy about them. They’re not just shooters. They’re tough, physical guys that can grind and defend, make a play off the bounce and those guys are going to be a lot better this year than they were last year.”

On extension talks with Green:

“First and foremost, the day that he became officially eligible to have extension conversations, he was the first call I made. I called him. We didn’t dive deep into negotiations, but I just told him how much we love him, believe in him, and want him here long term. And I did the same thing with his agent, Matt Bollero, who I love and respect in this business.

“And so we’ve already made the contact. A.J. wants to be here, A.J. wants to figure something out. Obviously, we’ve got to figure a deal out and we have the whole season to do it. I hope it doesn’t take that long. I think they hope it doesn’t take that long either, but as the dust starts to settle on a pretty busy offseason, that’ll be the most important thing for us to figure out with A.J. And I know he feels the same about trying to figure it out with us.”

On what Anthony can bring to Milwaukee:

“He’s electric with the ball, a very capable shooter. I think he can be one of the guys that you’ve seen year in and year out come into our system and get a higher dose of better shot quality because of playing with Giannis and playing in our system and improve as a shooter. I think he could have a huge shooting year, which would be massive for him and us.

“And he’s just got an edge to him. I hope he takes this as an affectionate thing, and this is true, when I saw the idea of Cole Anthony, him being free and our chance to get him, I think he’s like a guard version of Bobby Portis. I think he can bring so much swag and energy to our team.”

Atlantic Notes: Bridges, Hansen, Knicks Summer League, Embiid

July 18th, 2025 at 9:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Knicks and Mikal Bridges have yet to agree to an extension. There’s a chance the team has an ulterior motive for putting off a new deal, according to SNY’s Ian Begley (video link).

While it’s likely not the only factor, Begley believes the lingering uncertainty surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s status regarding his future with the Bucks may be playing a part in the lack of movement on a deal between the Knicks and Bridges.

“With the Knicks and all the other teams kind of keeping an eye on Milwaukee and what may or may not happen there, I think one of the reasons why he has not been extended yet is because once you extend him, you cannot trade him for six months, Begley said on an episode of The Putback. “I think that’s why you haven’t seen Bridges extended yet. When he does extend, I think that would tell you Giannis is put to bed, is off the table in a sense.”

The Knicks’ potential interest in the two-time MVP has been well documented. While the offseason noise surrounding Antetokounmpo has quieted since the acquisition of Myles Turner and the departure of Damian Lillard, the matter might not be closed yet.

We have more from around the Atlantic division:

According to Nets Daily (via Twitter), the general manager of the Qingdao Eagles stated that Yang Hansen had a promise from the Nets if he fell to No. 19 in the 2025 draft. Danny Marang of 1080 The Fan tweets that the Trail Blazers were unwilling to trade further down than No. 16 due to Hansen’s stock rising in the lead-up to the draft. The Blazers ultimately traded from 11th to 16th overall to select the former Eagles center.
The Knicks have posted a 1-3 Summer League record with a mixed bag of performances, even from their rostered players, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Tyler Kolek shook off a brutal start to display some self-creation flashes, but overall was too loose with the ball for someone billed as a floor general, says Edwards. Pacome Dadiet and Kevin McCullar‘s shooting struggles continued, but both were effective getting to the rim. The standout on the team was the team’s second-round draft pick, Mohamed Diawara, who showed an interesting set of ball skills and physical tools and may have played his way into conversations surrounding a two-way contract.
The recent Joel Embiid feature from ESPN revealed the lack of trust Embiid has in the Sixers organization when it comes to his health, writes The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey (subscription required), who also took the article as a sign that regardless of what the team wants, he will only return from his injury rehab when he’s ready. Pompey adds that the article suggested the team’s culture and lack of top-down cohesiveness under Sam Hinkie hasn’t significantly improved and that for Daryl Morey and the organization to restore the faith of fans, only winning will help.

Pacers Notes: Nembhard, Mathurin, Turner, Jackson, More

July 17th, 2025 at 10:26pm CST by Luke Adams

With Tyrese Haliburton sidelined for the entire 2025/26 season as he recovers from a torn Achilles, the Pacers‘ offense is expected to look significantly different in the fall and likely won’t be nearly as “high-octane,” according to Jamal Collier of ESPN.

Indiana ranked second in both offensive rating and pace during the 2023/24 regular season and was a top-10 team in both categories again in ’24/25, despite getting off to a slow start last fall. The Pacers also played at the fastest pace of any Eastern Conference team during the 2025 playoffs en route to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2000.

As Collier observes, Andrew Nembhard – who figures to take over as the team’s starting point guard in 2025/26 – doesn’t have the same burst as Haliburton, so the Pacers figure to lean more into his strengths, including his decision-making in half-court sets.

According to Collier, several executives around the league believe that fourth-year wing Bennedict Mathurin is in line for an increased offensive role with Haliburton on the shelf and Myles Turner no longer on the roster. Mathurin, a 2022 lottery pick, has averaged 15.9 points in 28.3 minutes per game during his first three years in the NBA. He’s eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason.

Here’s more on the Pacers:

Confirming remarks made by president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said during an appearance on The Green Light with Chris Long podcast (YouTube link) that the club didn’t have the opportunity to match the contract offer Turner got from Milwaukee before he agreed to sign with the Bucks. “We were talking to them – ‘them’ meaning his agent – about him returning,” Carlisle said (hat tip to HoopsHype). “And really, kind of out of nowhere, Milwaukee decided to waive Damian Lillard and stretch his contract…and then they created space to sign Myles. I think what probably happened—and this is part of negotiation in any sport—a team will say: ‘Hey, look, we have this offer. It’s this much over this many years, but if we make this offer, we need to know that you’re going to take it and not shop it.’ And so, I believe that’s probably what happened with Milwaukee. It was a number. It was a certain number of years. And they just jumped at it, and there was never a chance to counter. So—those things happen. And when they do, you just have to keep going.”
While Isaiah Jackson‘s new three-year, $21MM contract with the Pacers is guaranteed for now, it includes injury protections in years two and three in the event that the big man suffers another major Achilles injury that prevents him from reaching games-played benchmarks, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Jackson missed nearly the entire 2024/25 season while recovering from an Achilles tear he sustained in early November.
Pascal Siakam tops the list of the Pacers’ most important players for the 2025/26 season with Haliburton out and Turner gone, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required). Nembhard, Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith, and Jay Huff round out Dopirak’s top five, in that order.
In a separate story for The Indianapolis Star, Dopirak shares his takeaways from the Pacers’ fourth Las Vegas Summer League game on Thursday, including forward Enrique Freeman continuing to make a strong case for a two-way slot in Indiana. Freeman racked up 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, along with 10 rebounds and four assists, in Thursday’s win over New York.

Eastern Notes: Sexton, Holland, Anthony, Embiid, Bassey

July 17th, 2025 at 9:09pm CST by Luke Adams

In a wide-ranging interview with Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer (subscription required), Hornets head coach Charles Lee spoke about the offseason additions to the roster, why he’s comfortable with the team’s frontcourt options, and how he expects LaMelo Ball to take another step forward as a leader next season, among other topics.

Discussing newly acquired veteran guard Collin Sexton, Lee suggested that the 26-year-old’s “fearlessness” and “competitiveness” are traits that stand out and joked that he’ll be expecting different treatment from Sexton during games now that they’re on the same side.

“From afar, he was very competitive. At times he would stare me down during games as the opposing coach or scout coach, and he’s always looking for some fuel to get him going,” Lee said. “So, when he first got here, I made sure to remind them of that, ‘Like, don’t be looking at me crazy like that anymore or your minutes are going to suffer now.’ But it’s great. I’m so glad to have him on our side.

“… I already appreciate so much of what he’s kind of giving to our group,” Lee continued. “Seeing him do group workouts with Melo, them having conversations, I just think is really important for our group to continue to grow. And he’s going to be a big part of that with his work ethic and then also with his competitiveness.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

While Ron Holland has been impressive all around for the Pistons during Summer League play, with averages of 21.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.0 steals per game in three outings, his three-point shooting has perhaps been the most encouraging part of his performance, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required). It’s a small sample, but Holland has knocked down 7-of-15 threes (46.7%) after making just 23.8% as a rookie. “I feel like me and Freddie V have been in the gym, for sure,” Holland said on Sunday, referring to Pistons assistant coach and shooting guru Fred Vinson. “There’s no secret behind that.” Shawn Windsor of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required) also weighs in on Holland’s strong Summer League play, suggesting that the Pistons should be very encouraged by what he has shown.
Cole Anthony‘s new one-year contract with the Bucks is worth the veteran’s minimum, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. Anthony will earn $2,667,947 on the deal, while Milwaukee carries a cap hit of $2,296,274.
In a fascinating, in-depth feature, Dotun Akintoye of ESPN gets some candid comments out of Sixers star Joel Embiid, who discussed the media narratives that have followed him around, his altercation with local columnist Marcus Hayes, and his (successful) quest to find out who leaked details about a team meeting last fall, among many other topics.
Big man Charles Bassey has left the Celtics‘ Summer League team, as Souichi Terada of MassLive.com relays. Bassey’s deal with Boston only covered three games in Las Vegas, as he had other summer commitments. The former San Antonio center – who doesn’t yet have a contract in place for 2025/26 – performed well in Vegas, averaging a double-double (15.3 PPG, 11.0 RPG) and shooting 70.4% from the field.

Bucks To Receive Cap Benefit From Lillard’s New Contract

July 17th, 2025 at 6:19pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bucks will receive a salary cap benefit as a result of Damian Lillard‘s new three-year contract with the Trail Blazers, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN and Sports Business Classroom (Twitter link).

Milwaukee waived Lillard earlier this month and used the stretch provision to spread the $112.6MM he was owed on his previous contract over the next five years, resulting in annual cap hits of about $22.5MM.

As Marks explains, since Lillard’s salary with Portland exceeds the one-year veteran’s minimum salary ($2,048,494) for each of the next two seasons, the Bucks will receive a set-off amount of approximately $11.65MM. The formula for determining the exact amount involves taking Lillard’s new salary with the Blazers, subtracting the one-year vet minimum, and dividing that amount in half.

The set-off, which will be applied after the 2025/26 regular season, will reduce Milwaukee’s annual dead-money cap hits from $22.5MM to $20.2MM through ’29/30.

While $2.3MM annual savings might not seem like much, every little bit of financial flexibility could be helpful for the Bucks as they try to retool around Giannis Antetokounmpo. The reduction of Lillard’s dead money may also help the team waive-and-stretch another contract down the road without exceeding the maximum allowable 15% of the cap.

Before word broke this evening of Lillard’s agreement with the Blazers, Marks predicted on ESPN’s NBA Today that the seven-time All-NBA guard would reunite with Portland (Twitter video link).

While the Bucks are benefiting a little financially as a result of Lillard signing a new contract, it’s worth noting that the same won’t be true of the Suns with Bradley Beal, since the right to set-off is typically forfeited as part of a buyout agreement — Milwaukee simply waived Lillard rather than buying him out.

Luke Adams contributed to this story.

NBA Reportedly Concludes Kevin Porter Jr. Investigation

July 17th, 2025 at 1:25pm CST by Rory Maher

The NBA has concluded its investigation of Kevin Porter Jr.‘s domestic violence incident from September 2023, according to Law Murray of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the 25-year-old guard received a four-game suspension but won’t actually have to miss any games during the upcoming season.

As Murray tweets, Porter missed the entire 2023/24 season as a result of the incident, having been traded from Houston to Oklahoma City and subsequently cut by the Thunder in October 2023. Due to those circumstances and the information discovered in the league’s investigation, the four-game suspension will be considered already served, says Murray.

Porter was arrested in September 2023 following an altercation with his then-girlfriend, ex-WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick, and was originally charged with felony counts of assault and strangulation. He reached a plea deal in Manhattan in January 2024, agreeing to reckless assault in the third degree, a misdemeanor, as well as harassment in the second degree, which is considered a violation.

Several weeks after Porter’s arrest that September, Gondrezick disputed Manhattan prosecutors’ characterization of the incident that took place on September 11, telling Priscilla DeGregory and Emily Crane of The New York Post that Porter “never balled his fists up and hit me” and “definitely didn’t punch me in the face numerous times.”

A second-degree assault charge against Porter was dropped at that time after it was determined that Gondrezick’s vertebra fracture was a congenital defect and not caused by the former Rocket.

“It happened very fast, not to the degree of what was reported,” Gondrezick said of the altercation. “And it was an argument that occurred in the room for not even 10 seconds.”

The NBA put the Porter investigation on hold while he played in Greece during the ’23/24 campaign, but resumed it when he signed with the Clippers last July. Porter was traded to the Bucks in February and re-signed with Milwaukee on a two-year deal earlier this month.

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