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The Bucks Players Who Benefited Most From NBA Cup Prize Money

December 18th, 2024 at 7:39am CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks‘ team salary this season is approximately $193MM, which is over the second tax apron and far exceeds the $160.4MM on the Thunder‘s books.

However, only two players on Oklahoma City’s roster are on minimum-salary contracts and just three of 15 Thunder players on standard deals are earning less than $3MM this season. By comparison, Milwaukee has eight players with salaries below $3MM, plus a ninth earning just a hair above $3MM. Seven of those nine players are earning their respective minimums.

While the $514,970 bonus for winning the NBA Cup may be a drop in the bucket for maximum-salary Bucks stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, it represents a significant pay raise for the players on the lower two-thirds of Milwaukee’s cap sheet, as well as the players on two-way contracts who will receive bonuses worth $257,485 apiece.

The NBA Cup prize money results in at least a 17% raise for each of the following Bucks players, whose 2024/25 salaries are noted in parentheses:

Players receiving a $514,970 bonus:

Delon Wright ($3,003,427)
Taurean Prince ($2,988,550)
AJ Johnson ($2,795,294)
MarJon Beauchamp ($2,733,720)
Gary Trent Jr. ($2,613,120)
A.J. Green ($2,120,693)
Andre Jackson ($1,891,857)
Chris Livingston ($1,891,857)
Tyler Smith ($1,157,153)

Players receiving a $257,485 bonus:

Liam Robbins ($578,577)
Ryan Rollins ($578,577)
Stanley Umude ($578,577)

The bonuses for Smith and the Bucks’ two-way players represent a raise of roughly 44.5% on their respective base salaries.

None of this prize money will count against the salary cap, so the Bucks’ team salary for cap, tax, and apron purposes remains unchanged, as do the team salaries for Oklahoma City and the other six clubs who made the knockout round of the IST. Their prize money is as follows:

Oklahoma City Thunder: $205,988 per player ($102,994 for two-way players)
Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets: $102,994 per player ($51,497 for two-ways)
Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and Orlando Magic: $51,497 per player ($25,749 for two-ways)

Bucks Notes: Rivers, Middleton, Minutes Restriction, Celtics Matchup

December 7th, 2024 at 8:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

Coach Doc Rivers didn’t see any signs of panic as the Bucks stumbled out of the gate this season, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. After winning on opening night, Milwaukee dropped six straight games, raising questions about whether the team should still be considered a contender following two consecutive first-round playoff exits. Meeting with reporters before Friday’s game at Boston, Rivers said those concerns never affected his team.

“Nobody in Milwaukee is saying that, nobody on our team is saying that,” he said. “We feel like we’re going to be right there when we need to be.”

The slow start led to some speculation that a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade might be necessary, considering the team’s second apron status and the overall age of its roster. The Bucks eventually pulled out of their tailspin, winning seven straight before back-to-back losses that evened their record at 11-11. Rivers admitted that he expected to be in a better position, but he believes the team is heading in the right direction.

“Tough start, but I think everybody here’s patient,” he said. “… I think we’re going to be one of the teams, but we’re not yet. We’re not. So we have work to do. It’s funny, when we go on the road we hear that and it’s laughable for us. But our record says what we are and we’re not where we want to be, so we get it.”

There’s more on the Bucks:

Making his season debut after missing 21 games following offseason surgery on both ankles, Khris Middleton took a hard bump early in Friday’s contest, per Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Less than two minutes after checking into the game, Middleton was knocked to the court by Sam Hauser while sinking a three-point shot. “I love it. Get it out the way,” Middleton said. “That’s something that’s been happening to me in play groups, one-on-one sessions, workouts, feeling that contact. Of course the contact was a little bit more during the game, but I needed that. I needed to feel like what it feels like to get hit, fall down on the floor and not really worry about anything. So that felt great. Felt even better to knock down the shot too and the free throw. I was cool with it.”
Rivers admitted that Middleton exceeded his minutes restriction in his first game back, Owczarski adds. The team didn’t reveal what Middleton’s limit is, but he wound up playing 23 minutes and was in the closing lineup as the game went down to the wire.
Friday’s contest was already the last of three meetings between Boston and Milwaukee during the regular season. Eric Nehm of The Athletic contends that the Bucks have become a better matchup for the Celtics because of the emergence of A.J. Green and Andre Jackson, adding that Taurean Prince‘s illness prevented Milwaukee from having a full complement of wing defenders that it might use against Boston in a playoff series.

Central Notes: Green, Cunningham, P. Williams, Okafor

November 22nd, 2024 at 11:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Always a strong outside shooter, Bucks wing A.J. Green got inconsistent playing time in his first two NBA seasons due in part to questions about his defense. However, he has taken major strides on that end of the court so far this fall, earning an increased role and praise from a superstar teammate, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

“His defense is incredible,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said of Green on Wednesday. “He’s staying down on pump fakes. He’s using his body very smart. I think two years ago, he would get himself in foul trouble. He’d use his hands a lot, maybe jump a little bit on the pump fake, get the guy to shoot two easy free throws. But now, he’s just solid.”

Green continues to knock down three-pointers – even after going 1-of-6 on Friday vs. Indiana, he’s at 46.7% for the season – but he was a 41.2% career three-point shooter entering the season, so that comes as no surprise. His defense, on the other hand, has been better than expected. Entering Friday’s contest, Green’s defensive rating across 260 minutes this season was an impressive 103.5, the second-best mark among Bucks who have logged at least 70 minutes.

“In my opinion, he’s a really, really good defender and he shows in practice. He shows it in games, you guys are seeing that,” Antetokounmpo said. “Like he’s not a liability on defense, he’s actually one of our better defenders on the team. So, I’m very, very happy that he’s out there with me. He makes our defense better and when we grab the rebound and go the other way, he’s a threat from everywhere.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham has been ruled out for Saturday’s contest in Orlando due to what the team is calling a left sacroiliac joint sprain, as Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press relays (via Twitter). While it’s unclear who will replace Cunningham in Detroit’s starting lineup, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic notes (via Twitter) that Wendell Moore took his place at the start of overtime in Wednesday’s game following Cunningham’s exit.
Bulls forward Patrick Williams missed a second consecutive game on Friday due to inflammation in his left foot and has been ruled out for Saturday too, but he’s downplaying concerns about his injury, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Williams told reporters the pain he’s experiencing now is “not even close” to what he felt before undergoing season-ending surgery on that foot last winter. “I’m not really concerned,” he said. “Obviously, with this type of stuff, (I’m) just leaning on the doctors, obviously our training staff, the team I worked with back home over the summer. Nobody seems to be worried. It’s kind of a thing that happens post-surgery. First year after surgery is always the toughest. (We’ll) try and work through different things.”
Jahlil Okafor was the third overall pick in the 2015 draft. Less than a decade later, as he nears his 29th birthday, the veteran center is playing for the Indiana Mad Ants in the G League as he seeks another NBA opportunity. Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star takes a closer look at Okafor’s comeback effort with the Pacers‘ NBAGL affiliate.

Bucks Guarantee A.J. Green’s Salary For 2024/25

July 10th, 2024 at 8:14am CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have guaranteed A.J. Green‘s $2,120,693 salary for the 2024/25 season, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).

As our list of early salary guarantee dates shows, Milwaukee would have had to waive Green by July 8 in order to avoid being on the hook for his minimum salary for ’24/25. Scotto’s reporting is confirmation that the two sides didn’t agree to push back that date.

Green, who went undrafted out of Northern Iowa in 2022, caught on with the Bucks on a two-way contract in July 2022 and was promoted to the standard roster on a new multiyear deal one year later. He played sparingly as a rookie, but saw a little more action in his second season, averaging 4.5 points and 1.1 rebounds in 11.0 minutes per game across 56 appearances off the bench.

A long-distance marksman, the 24-year-old has made 41.2% of his career three-point attempts (113-of-274). The Bucks lost their top three-point shooter (Malik Beasley) in free agency, so they may lean more heavily on Green in his third NBA season for floor-spacing purposes.

With Green’s salary now locked in, the Bucks are carrying 13 standard guaranteed contracts for 2024/25, with second-year guard Andre Jackson holding a partial guarantee on his minimum-salary deal. All three of their two-way contract slots are occupied.

As for Green, he remains under contract for one more season beyond this one — his $2.3MM salary for ’25/26 would become guaranteed if he’s not waived by July 8, 2025.

Bucks Notes: Giannis, Lillard, Green, Olympics

April 20th, 2024 at 6:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bucks are listing Giannis Antetokounmpo as doubtful on the team’s official injury report due to a left calf strain, making it unlikely that he’ll be available for Sunday’s series opener with Indiana.

Antetokounmpo was held out of practice this week as he recovers from the injury he suffered in an April 9 game. He participated in a walkthrough on Friday, but didn’t do anything more physical, coach Doc Rivers told Jim Owczarski of The Journal-Sentinel.

Antetokounmpo was given a two- to four-week prognosis after the injury occurred, and Owczarski notes that Game 2 of the series will mark exactly 14 days. Game 3 will be 17 days away and Game 4 will be 19, while a potential Game 7 would take place May 4, giving Antetokounmpo three-and-a-half weeks to recover.

Milwaukee was 4-5 without Antetokounmpo this season, including a pair of losses last weekend that dropped the team into the No. 3 seed.

There’s more on the Bucks:

Damian Lillard had planned to practice Tuesday as he works his way back from an aggravated Achilles tendon and an irritated adductor muscle, Owczarski adds, but Lillard said the medical staff’s decision to hold him out helped him to be a full participant Friday. Lillard underwent imaging to check the extent of the damage to both areas before returning to the court. “After that it was just like we got a week to get right, to get ready and that was kind of the focus,” he said. “I didn’t want to go out there with my pride or doing anything unnecessary. That was kind of the plan.”
A.J. Green isn’t on the injured list after spraining his left ankle in an April 10 game. Rivers tells Owczarski that Green was able to do “most things” at Friday’s practice, but Malik Beasley and Khris Middleton will see extended minutes if Green isn’t able to play. “We have to keep shooting on the floor,” Rivers said. “But A.J. has not only been good offensively, I think he’s been very good defensively. I think he’s been one of our guard rebounders as well. I mean, obviously we would love him to play. He looked good today.”
Lillard said he was contacted by Team USA about another Olympics appearance, but he wasn’t willing to make a commitment, Owczarski states in the same piece. Lillard wanted to concentrate on what he hopes will be a long playoff run with the Bucks, and he was reluctant to be away from his family for most of the summer. “I never committed to it and I was also never like, ‘I don’t want to go,'” Lillard said. “So, the roster I think they got a full roster now, so I’m not offended by it at all.”
In a separate story, Lillard tells Owczarski that rumors that he’s dissatisfied in his first year with the Bucks are inaccurate. “I saw somebody say ‘Dame is not happy in Milwaukee’ or something like that,” Lillard said. “I know the truth. I love the situation that I’m in. I also know what I have going on outside of basketball going on that kind of drains me at times. People are going to make comments. People are going to say things. And if it doesn’t go the way they said it was going to go, nobody is ever (going to) come to them and say ‘All right, you said this. Now what do you have to say about it?’ They are never held accountable for what they say publicly.”

Injury Notes: Caruso, Bulls, Bucks, Embiid, Hartenstein

April 19th, 2024 at 5:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Bulls defensive ace Alex Caruso will be available for tonight’s play-in tournament game in Miami, head coach Billy Donovan said (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago).

Guard Ayo Dosunmu (quad) and center Andre Drummond (ankle) will be active too, Donovan added. All three players had previously been listed as questionable.

Caruso was said to have sustained a “significant” left ankle sprain in Wednesday’s play-in victory over Atlanta, but the swelling subsided over the past couple days and he told reporters on Friday morning he expected to suit up. The injury was an aggravation of a previous sprain.

Duncan Robinson, who has been battling a back issue, will be available tonight for the Heat, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Robinson was technically active for Wednesday’s loss to Philadelphia, Chiang notes, but he didn’t see any action — that might change with Jimmy Butler sidelined due to a knee sprain.

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

Bucks guard Damian Lillard was a full practice participant on Friday, but two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (left calf strain) was unable to do any live drills, according to a report from ESPN. Reserve guard A.J. Green, who sat out Tuesday’s practice with a left ankle sprain, was able to go through most of Friday’s practice. There have been mixed messages from Milwaukee on Antetokounmpo’s status, with president Peter Feigin saying he”definitely will not be back for Sunday,” when the Bucks will host the Pacers in Game 1 of their first-round series. Head coach Doc Rivers is still holding out hope that the perennial All-NBA First Team member will be ready though, per ESPN. “I don’t know yet,” Rivers said. “We’re still hoping. He hasn’t done anything. Would we throw him out there? Yeah, we would. For us, still we’re not sure.”
Speaking of Lillard, the Bucks‘ All-Star said he aggravated his Achilles tendon in Sunday’s loss to Orlando, but his adductor has been giving him the most trouble, as Eric Nehm of The Athletic relays (Twitter links). Lillard missed four games over the past few weeks with various injury designations, but he said the week off has helped him recover.
Sixers center Joel Embiid is officially questionable for Saturday’s Game 1 in New York with what the team is calling left knee injury recovery, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic. Embiid, who missed a few months after tearing his meniscus in January, has been considered questionable for nearly every game since he returned to action at the beginning of April.
Since January 20, Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein has only played 30-plus minutes five times due to Achilles soreness. However, two of those instances came in his last two regular season games, and he said he’s ready for an increased workload in the postseason, according to Katz (Twitter link).

Bucks Notes: Lillard, Giannis, Green, Portis, Edens

April 16th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Bucks point guard Damian Lillard didn’t participate in the team’s practice on Tuesday, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Lillard said after Sunday’s game that his sore left adductor muscle was bothering him at times, citing “little irritation-type moments” (link via Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).

As Nehm relays (via Twitter), head coach Doc Rivers told reporters on Tuesday that Lillard has undergone imaging, which came back clean, so today’s absence from practice was mostly just about giving him “a little more rest.”

“I think it’s that,” Rivers said when asked if the adductor was still bothering Lillard. “His Achilles. His groin. We want him to be as close to 100 percent as possible, if you can be that at this point.”

Teammate Bobby Portis downplayed Lillard’s lack of involvement in Tuesday’s practice session, noting that Game 1 of the Bucks’ series against Indiana is still several days away.

“I mean, to start off, man, it wasn’t a shock or anything that Dame sat out,” Portis said, per Nehm (Twitter link). “It’s, what, Tuesday? The game’s on Sunday. I don’t want nobody to put too much stress on that. I think we kind of blow things out of proportion too much.”

Here’s more on the Bucks:

Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf strain) and A.J. Green (ankle sprain) also missed Tuesday’s practice, tweets Nehm. A report earlier today indicated that Milwaukee is preparing to be without Antetokounmpo for the start of round one.
Portis discussed several topics in an interview with Shams Charania of Stadium (Twitter video link), including his Sixth Man of the Year candidacy and a February trade rumor involving him and then-Mavericks forward Grant Williams. “When I got hints of (that rumor), I’m like, no way I’m getting traded for – excuse my French, that’s my guy, I love competing against him – but I shouldn’t get traded for Grant Williams,” Portis said. “That don’t even sound right. … I don’t know how that moves the needle. The things I do and the things he can help the team do are just different.”
Wes Edens spoke to Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about his first 10 years as the Bucks’ co-owner and his expectations for the next decade, stressing that he has no plans to sell his stake in the team anytime soon, like his fellow co-owner Marc Lasry did last year.
Owczarski’s feature also includes quotes from various members of the Bucks organization discussing the impact that the current ownership group has had on the franchise in the last decade. “He brought a winning culture,” Khris Middleton said of Edens. “He’s a great businessman and him and his partners wanted to bring that business culture of winning to our sports team. He did a lot. He had his hands on a lot of things, on the day-to-day operations as far as making sure things were running smoothly and put people in place that he had confidence in that can take us to the next level as a world-class, first-class organization.”

Central Notes: Mitchell, Sanogo, Bulls, Sasser, Green

April 13th, 2024 at 8:22am CST by Tristan Tucker

Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell is looking like he’s regained his All-Star form over the past two games after a rough combination of injuries and off-nights following Valentine’s Day, The Athletic’s Joe Vardon writes. Mitchell appeared in just nine games since the mid-point of February and averaged 16.9 points per contest on 37.8% shooting, well below his season averages of 26.6 PPG and 46.2%.

His return to form began on Wednesday against the Grizzlies when Mitchell shot 52.9% from the field (9-of-17), his highest mark since Feb. 27. According to Vardon, Mitchell’s knee injury sapped him of the ability to get by defenders and get to the rim since mid-February, but he moved around much better against Memphis and he was more vocal and animated than he had been in recent weeks. For what it’s worth, coach J.B. Bickerstaff expects Mitchell to fully get back into form before the postseason begins.

“To me, there is no doubt that he’ll get there,” Bickerstaff said. “We’ve got three games in almost 14 days, so he has an opportunity to do some really good work on his body, on the court. We know who Donovan is and what he is capable of.”

Mitchell followed his game against Memphis with a 33-point outing against the Pacers that saw him record five assists and four steals, the latter of which matched his season-best mark. As a result of the win, Cleveland clinched a playoff berth and a top-four seed. During the nine games Mitchell struggled, the Cavs went 4-5. In the two wins this week, Mitchell scored a combined 62 points, three m0re than he had in his previous four games combined.

“The biggest thing for me is just to continue to build my confidence back up in my body,” Mitchell said after Wednesday’s game. “The biggest cure for this is rest. I don’t have time for that. … I consider myself a pretty mentally strong person, so just being able to find ways to adapt to the situation. I felt really good tonight, and just continue to build on that.”

We have more from the Central Division:

The Bulls clinched home-court advantage in next week’s play-in game against the Hawks, and coach Billy Donovan said he’d consult with the players and medical staff for their final two regular-season games, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Much of the Bulls’ rotation went on to not play on Friday against the Wizards as they manage injuries. As a result, several of Chicago’s end-of-roster pieces got extended playing time. Two-way center Adama Sanogo became just the second rookie this season to post a 20-point, 20-rebound game, joining Victor Wembanyama. “I don’t think I got here by chance,” Sanogo said, per The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry (Twitter link). “I got here because these guys believe in me. These guys think I can have a chance. I’ve got to show that, too, that I can do this.” Other role players like Javonte Green (24 points), Jevon Carter (12 assists) and Henri Drell (23 minutes, career-nine points) also had big nights.
The Bulls started the season at 5-14 but have since gone 33-28 despite injuries to Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams, prompting Donovan to acknowledge how far the team has come, Johnson writes in the same NBC Sports Chicago story. “I’m happy for these guys,” Donovan said. “I think sometimes when you just look in the moment of where you’re at, sometimes you don’t get a chance to look at where you started. I’ve said before: It was a rough start for us. And I really appreciate the guys in that locker room sticking together, fighting, not quitting, not making excuses or pointing fingers and trying to rally and pull together and play better.“
Rookie guard Marcus Sasser has been a bright spot in a nightmarish Pistons season that has resulted in the franchise’s worst win percentage of all time. Sasser has appeared in 70 games, starting 10, and averaged 8.1 points and 3.3 assists while making 37.3% of his three-point shots. The Houston product reflected on his rookie year, saying he wants to get mentally stronger for next season, per The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III (Twitter link). “It’s definitely a big jump, but that’s what makes this job fun,” Sasser said. “It’s not for everybody“
Bucks guard A.J. Green departed Wednesday’s game against the Magic in the second quarter with a left ankle injury. The Bucks announced that he underwent an MRI on Thursday which revealed a left ankle sprain; he was ruled out for at least the team’s final two regular season games (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Eric Nehm). Green has averaged 4.5 points in 11.0 minutes per night while shooting 40.8% from three.

Injury Notes: Ingram, Giannis, Green, Robinson, Melton

April 12th, 2024 at 7:40am CST by Luke Adams

Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, who has been sidelined since March 21 due to a left knee bone contusion, is expected to return to action on Sunday vs. the Lakers, TNT’s Chris Haynes said on Thursday night’s broadcast (Twitter video link via Pelicans Film Room).

Ingram’s impending return will give him an opportunity to get acclimated back into the Pelicans’ lineup ahead of the postseason. He’ll also get the chance to try to help New Orleans clinch a playoff berth — the team currently has a one-game lead on Phoenix for the No. 6 seed in the West. Since the Suns hold the tiebreaker, the Pelicans will need to win its remaining two games or have Phoenix lose at least once to hang onto the sixth spot.

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said this week that he isn’t sure whether or not star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will be ready for the start of the playoffs (Twitter link via Jamal Collier of ESPN). Antetokounmpo was in a walking boot on the sidelines during Wednesday’s game (Twitter link via Harris Stavrou of SPORT24). Milwaukee had another player bitten by the injury bug during that contest, as swingman A.J. Green went down with a left ankle sprain (Twitter link via Eric Nehm of The Athletic). Green has been ruled out for Friday’s matchup with Oklahoma City.
After missing five games due to a back issue in late March, Heat forward Duncan Robinson returned to action on March 31 and appeared in four more contests after that, but still wasn’t quite right, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Robinson will miss a third consecutive contest on Friday vs. Toronto as a result of that nagging back problem, and his availability for the start of the postseason is up in the air.
Sixers guard De’Anthony Melton returned on Tuesday from a lumbar spine injury, playing for just the fourth time since January 12. He admitted that the recovery process was a long, challenging one, as Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays. “Throughout the whole process, it was a lot of ups and downs,” Melton said. “Some days [were] better than others. Definitely there was a little doubt that crept into my mind. But I just kind of tried to stay with it and, every day, just take it moment by moment. And now we’re here.” Head coach Nick Nurse said Melton felt good after playing nearly 16 minutes on Tuesday, adding that the team will look to increase his minutes a little on Friday (Twitter link via Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports).

Eastern Notes: Giles, Nets, Harden, Bucks Prospects

September 8th, 2023 at 7:07pm CST by Rory Maher

Harry Giles‘ one-year, non-guaranteed contract with the Nets includes an Exhibit 9 clause, but not an Exhibit 10, Hoops Rumors has learned. That means Giles likely won’t be a candidate to join the Long Island Nets in the G League if he’s waived by Brooklyn before the season, since he wouldn’t be eligible for an Exhibit 10 bonus (worth up to $75K). He also can’t have the deal converted into a two-way.

A former first-round pick (20th overall in 2017), Giles was once one of the highest-rated prospects in his class, but sustained a couple of serious knee injuries. The 25-year-old has been out of the league the past two seasons.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Trade talks involving Sixers guard James Harden are reportedly on ice. The team failed to gain traction in negotiations with the Clippers — Harden’s preferred landing spot — and then took him off the market. Still, given his comments about president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, it seems inevitable that Harden will eventually be moved. Which teams might be motivated to pursue Harden if things go awry during the season? Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype cites the Bulls, Rockets, Mavericks and Lakers as possible destinations that could make some sense.
Instead of prioritizing veterans like they have the past handful of seasons, the Bucks instead have filled out the back end of their roster with young players. Over at The Athletic, Eric Nehm spoke to draft expert Sam Vecenie to see how MarJon Beauchamp, Andre Jackson and Chris Livingston might fit with Milwaukee in 2023/24. Vecenie likes the defensive potential of second-year wing Beauchamp and 2023 second-rounder Jackson, but writes that both players will have to improve their jump shots to have a shot at regular minutes alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. As for Livingston, who was the final pick of 2023, Vecenie believes the former Kentucky wing is a long-term developmental project who is unlikely to make much of an impact in the NBA, particularly early on.
In part two of their conversation about the Bucks‘ youngsters, Vecenie says he’s high on TyTy Washington‘s offensive upside and believes the 21-year-old guard has a legitimate shot at being converted to a standard contract. A first-round pick last year, Washington was released by Oklahoma City in August after spending his rookie season with the Rockets, later signing a two-way deal with Milwaukee. Nehm and Vecenie also discuss the potential of second-year sharpshooter A.J. Green, who is on a standard deal, and rookie Omari Moore, who is on a two-way contract.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.