The Big Question: Did One Trade Make the Bucks Better, or…

By the Bucks Nightly Desk · Saturday, October 17

Milwaukee traded Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami in June and rebuilt around Tyler Herro, Myles Turner and Kyle Kuzma. Three preseason games later, with a comeback win over Indiana and a cleared injury report, the roster is about to answer whether that bet was sound.

Bucks Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Last season

Milwaukee finished 32-50, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17. The offense ranked 24th of 30 teams, the defense 26th, and the scoring margin sat 25th in the league at a 98.3 pace. That record is the backdrop for everything that followed.

This summer

On June 23, the Bucks sent Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to Miami for four players, including Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kel'el Ware, then drafted Brayden Burries 10th and Nate Ament 13th. Myles Turner, signed away from rival Indiana, joined holdovers Kevin Porter Jr., Ryan Rollins, AJ Green and Kyle Kuzma.

This preseason

Milwaukee opened 90-105 at Charlotte, then fell 104-125 to Chicago. The finale turned different: down 19 to Indiana, the Bucks rallied to win 128-127. Herro scored 25 on 5-of-7 shooting from three, and reserves Burries, Ware and Porter Jr. combined for 38 more.

This week

Seven players cleared various issues Monday, including Herro, Turner, Rollins, Jaquez Jr., Green, Porter Jr. and Gary Trent Jr., ahead of the opener. The league's inquiry into the Trent Jr. trade, first reported Sept. 23, still carries no further detail. Payroll stands at $191.4 million, over the cap and under the $200.4 million tax line.

The answer

Call it a cautious yes. A roster that posted bottom-five figures in both ratings last season looks healthier and deeper than it did in the spring, and it just erased a 19-point hole against a team that eliminated Milwaukee twice before. The real verdict starts October 21, at Washington.

Next The next test that counts comes October 21 at Washington, the regular-season opener that finally carries real stakes.

Is Giannis Antetokounmpo still on the Bucks?

No. Milwaukee traded him, along with Bobby Portis, to Miami on June 23, 2026, in the deal that brought back Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kel'el Ware.

When does the Bucks' regular season start?

Milwaukee opens the 2026-27 season October 21 at the Washington Wizards, five days after closing the preseason with a 128-127 win at Indiana.

By the Bucks Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.