The Big Question: Did Milwaukee Trade Its Identity for a…

By the Bucks Nightly Desk · Wednesday, September 30

Milwaukee begins the 2026-27 season having replaced a two-time MVP with four players, two lottery picks and a full coaching change, betting that a deeper, more balanced roster can outdo what one immense talent produced last season on a 32-50 team. The record resets to 0-0, but the payroll, the coaching change and an active league inquiry into one contract all shape whether that bet pays off before the answer even arrives on the court.

Bucks Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Last season

Milwaukee finished 32-50 last season, missing the playoffs while playing most of the year around an injured Antetokounmpo. The offense sat 24th in the league, the defense 26th, and net rating fell to minus-6.1 at a quick 98.3 pace. The season ended with a coaching change, Doc Rivers leaving the bench, and questions about the roster's direction.

This spring

Taylor Jenkins took over April 30, arriving from Memphis, where he had coached the Grizzlies, to lead a franchise searching for a new direction. He had been on Milwaukee's bench before, an assistant under Mike Budenholzer in 2018-19, long before the current rebuild began. He now inherits a fanbase's patience and a roster on the verge of complete turnover.

This summer

On June 23, Milwaukee sent Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to Miami for Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware and Kasparas Jakucionis, the trade that defines this rebuild. Weeks later, the Bucks used the tenth and thirteenth picks on Brayden Burries and Nate Ament, adding two rookies to the mix. Myles Turner and Kyle Kuzma remained as the roster's veteran core.

This month

Jake Stephens signed Sept. 17. Four days later, Malique Lewis departed, trimming the roster to 21 players heading into camp. Two days after that, Joe Vardon wrote that the league is examining the contract Milwaukee gave Trent, with no detail on the findings disclosed yet. Camp opened with both the roster spot and the inquiry unresolved.

This week

Payroll sits at $193.8M, over the cap but under the $200.4M tax line, with Herro's $33.0M and Turner's $26.6M the largest deals on the books. That leaves room to add pieces during the season if the front office chooses. Whether the depth already assembled outproduces the one star it replaced is the question camp alone cannot answer.

Next Preseason begins Oct. 5 against Minnesota, the first live look at this roster. The answer that counts starts Oct. 21, when Milwaukee opens the regular season at Washington.

What did the Bucks get in the Antetokounmpo trade?

Milwaukee received Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware and Kasparas Jakucionis from Miami on June 23, 2026, sending out Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis.

When do the Bucks play their first game of the season?

The preseason opens Oct. 5 against Minnesota, and the regular season begins Oct. 21 at Washington.