Milwaukee Bucks Buyout Market Tiers: 15 Players To Watch
With the NBA’s trade deadline in our rear-view mirror, the Milwaukee Bucks and the rest of the league turn their attention to the buyout market. Players who are waived before March 1st are eligible to sign with a new team and suit up with them for the playoffs.
Milwaukee made two deals at the deadline this year. First, they acquired the pesky Patrick Beverley in exchange for Cameron Payne and a 2027 second-round pick from the Philadelphia 76ers. Next, they sent Robin Lopez and cash considerations to the Sacramento Kings for the draft rights to Dimitrios Agravanis, freeing up a roster spot in the process.
That flexibility will allow Milwaukee to fill out their roster with a buyout candidate if they so desire. Jon Horst confirmed the Bucks indeed have that desire. Talking with reporters after the trades, he said, “That’s part of the bet is that we think we will have a chance to do that. I think we will, there have been a couple of players that have been released already that I think could potentially be helpful. There may be some others here in the next few days. It usually takes a couple days to really understand what will or won’t be available. But that’s the bet that we made that we think we’ll be able to add to our team with some impact here.”
The Bucks are over the second apron which means they can’t sign any player who was making at least $12.4 million before they were waived. That takes the following off the table: Kyle Lowry (agreed to sign with the 76ers), Spencer Dinwiddie (agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers), Evan Fournier, Davis Bertans, Marcus Morris, Joe Harris, and others.
With that in mind, here are 15 players who will potentially be available to sign with the Bucks as buyout candidates.
The Bucks already addressed their backcourt with the acquisition of Beverley, but could choose to double dip at the position.
Hayes and Lewis Jr. are more likely to garner interest from rebuilding teams than from championship contenders like Milwaukee. It remains to be seen if Milton will be waived. That leaves Delon Wright as my favorite from this group. He’s not quite the defensive stopper he was a couple of years ago, but he has good size and can play alongside Damian Lillard, Malik Beasley, or Beverley in the backcourt.
Wings
Cedi Osman, SpursDanuel House, Pistons*Otto Porter Jr., JazzFurkan Korkmaz, Pacers*Wes Matthews, Hawks
Milwaukee still doesn’t have a wing-stopper on their roster and could acquire one in the buyout market. If that’s their focus, that would make Osman, Porter Jr. and Matthews as the most likely candidates. The former would be a surprise waive, but is someone the Bucks should immediately jump on.
Bigs
Thaddeus Young, Nets*Chimeziu Metu, Grizzlies*Danilo Gallinari, Pistons*P.J. Tucker, ClippersKevin Knox, JazzLamar Stevens, Grizzlies
Bobby Portis’s offensive game has been up and down all season, while his defensive output has mostly been down. That could force Milwaukee to search for an additional big to challenge Portis for minutes off the bench.
It doesn’t look like Tucker will leave millions of dollars on the table, making Young the best fit among this group. He would allow Doc Rivers to play Giannis Antetokounmpo at the 5 and still maintain a strong defensive presence.
