Malique Lewis is no longer on the Milwaukee Bucks roster as of Monday, Sept. 21, according to the team's official roster. No report preceded the move, and his contract status is not on file yet.
The move
The Milwaukee Bucks' official roster no longer lists Malique Lewis, a 21-year-old rookie forward, as of Monday, Sept. 21. He leaves the roster with no destination on file; the team's roster simply shows him off it. No report preceded the move — none is logged for this transaction. Lewis had not appeared in an NBA game last season, so his departure closes out a rookie year that had not yet started on the court.
The money
Lewis's contract is not on file yet; public salary data can lag a transaction by a day, so terms are not available. The Bucks carry a payroll of $193.8 million across 20 contracts for 2026-27, over the salary cap but under the luxury tax. The cap sits at $165.0 million, the tax line at $200.4 million, the first apron at $209.0 million and the second apron at $221.7 million. Milwaukee has room under the tax but is already well above the cap line.
The fit
Lewis has no NBA line from last season; he enters as a rookie forward without prior league experience. In Milwaukee's rotation last season, Giannis Antetokounmpo led scoring at 27.6 points on 28.9 minutes, followed by Kevin Porter Jr. at 17.4 points on 33.2 minutes and Ryan Rollins at 17.3 points on 32.1 minutes. Kyle Kuzma added 13.0 points on 26.2 minutes. The Bucks' roster stands at 21 players, against a standard limit of 15 plus three two-way spots, leaving little room for an unproven rookie forward.
Why did Malique Lewis leave the Bucks' roster?
No report preceded the move; it was detected from the team's official roster on Monday, Sept. 21, with no reason given.
What is Malique Lewis's contract situation?
His contract is not on file yet. Public salary data can lag a transaction by a day.
How does this affect Milwaukee's cap situation?
The Bucks carry $193.8 million across 20 contracts for 2026-27, over the $165.0 million cap but under the $200.4 million tax line.
Did Malique Lewis play for the Bucks last season?
No. He has no NBA line from last season and entered this season as a rookie.