Milwaukee’s reset is no longer theoretical. After a 32-50 finish and an 11th-place spot in the East, the Bucks have moved on from the Giannis Antetokounmpo era, sending the two-time MVP and Bobby Portis to Miami and handing new coach Taylor Jenkins a roster built for development rather than an immediate title chase.
Key takeaways
- Tyler Herro, a Wisconsin native and former All-Star, arrives as the most established player in Milwaukee’s return from Miami.
- Kel’el Ware brings a promising two-way profile after posting 11.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in his second NBA season.
- Milwaukee added recent lottery selections Brayden Burries and Nate Ament, with Burries chosen No. 10 in June.
- The Bucks hold Miami first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, plus a 2030 pick-swap right.
- Jenkins will be sorting through a crowded set of lineup questions involving both the incoming young players and several returning veterans.
A young core gets the floor
The Antetokounmpo trade closes the book on the franchise player who drove Milwaukee to the 2021 championship. It also changes the daily work inside the gym. Herro comes over with Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakučionis, while Ament also joined the organization through the deal. Burries was Milwaukee’s own draft outcome after last season’s slide.
Caris LeVert and Bogoljub Marković are among the other offseason additions, adding more bodies to a group that must establish its hierarchy on the fly. The clearest early opportunity may belong to Ware, the 7-footer whose role was limited by Miami’s rotation despite productive stretches.
Ware averaged 11.1 points, 9.0 boards, 1.1 blocks and 1.2 made 3-pointers in 22 minutes a night last season. He shot 53 percent overall and 39.5 percent from deep. When he started, his numbers rose to 12.8 points and 10.7 rebounds across 34 games, with 40.9 percent 3-point shooting on 3.4 attempts in 26.7 minutes. Milwaukee has room to let him play through mistakes and test whether those starter-level flashes can become his regular baseline.
The minutes picture is a dramatic reversal from last year. The Bucks received only 318 total minutes from first- and second-year players, while every other NBA team gave that group more than 1,300. Ryan Rollins emerged last season, but he was already in his fourth year and had just turned 24. Milwaukee now has six players selected in the top 20 of the past five drafts, even if the club remains lighter than desired in its broader future-pick inventory.
Return dates and Jenkins’ first lineup search
The first home look at the rebuilt group comes Oct. 23 against the Chicago Bulls. It is a division matchup with very little separation in the all-time series, which Chicago leads 138-137.
Milwaukee’s first trip to Miami after the trade lands Nov. 18. Antetokounmpo will face the Bucks for the first time, while Herro, Ware, Jaquez and Jakučionis will all make their first return to the Heat’s home floor as visitors.
Jenkins has his own return game on Dec. 12 in Memphis. He coached the Grizzlies from 2019 through 2025, finishing with a 250-214 record and three playoff appearances during his six seasons there.
Two January dates stand out on the development calendar. On Jan. 26 at Utah, Burries will meet Jazz rookie Darryn Peterson for the first time in the NBA. Burries had 20 points and 12 rebounds for Arizona in a February Big 12 win over Kansas, while Peterson scored 24; both later went in the top 10 of the draft. Then, on Jan. 28, Antetokounmpo returns to Milwaukee with Miami. The former franchise centerpiece is expected to receive a warm reception despite the lengthy trade uncertainty that preceded his departure.
Before those dates, training camp and preseason will be Jenkins’ first real laboratory. Rollins, Myles Turner, Kevin Porter Jr., Kyle Kuzma and AJ Green are back, but their roles beside the newcomers remain unsettled. The immediate task is not simply naming starters. It is finding combinations that can compete each night while giving Milwaukee’s young assets the minutes that were almost entirely unavailable a season ago.
