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2 Milwaukee Bucks Featured Among Top 25 Free Agents: Where Will They Go?

Originally posted on WI Sports Heroics | By John Sbisa | Last updated May 29, 2025 3:56 PM ET

Eight Milwaukee Bucks will become free agents this offseason. Re-resigned or not, the fates of Chris Livingston, Jericho Sims, or Pat Connaugh (likely to exercise his player option) won’t attract much attention outside the organization. Among the rest, though, several players should certainly draw interest, if not necessarily from the Bucks. ESPN’s Kevin Pelton ranks Gary Trent Jr. and Brook Lopez within his top 25 list of leaguewide free agents. Where might they end up?

Brook Lopez Gets New Potential Landing Spot as Grizzled Mentor

Pelton divides his list into five tiers, beginning with stars and working his way down. In “Tier 4: Aging Starters,” Lopez lands 12th overall. Although Bucks fans have wearied of his defensive liability and offensive limitations, the 37-year-old nonetheless put up solid numbers last season (13 points per game, 1.9 blocks, 37.3 three-point percentage) and could help a number of teams in need of a center.

A element of the disillusion with Lopez has simply to do with his salary. He did not play up to his $23 million salary in 2024-25. It is also true, however, that his lack of foot speed, explosiveness or playmaking make him a poor fit for the Bucks’ roster moving forward. It seems safe to assume that he has played his last game for Milwaukee.

At a lower price tag, he would definitely shore up a team like the Lakers, who have no big man to speak of, or the Warriors, who similarly were forced into playing smallball lineups during the playoffs, and punished for it. Pelton also introduces a new contender, the New Orleans Pelicans, whom he says he benefit from installing a veteran like Lopez alongside young center of the future Yves Missi.

Gary Trent Jr. Is a Must-Sign for Milwaukee Bucks

Given the Bucks’ lack of options in the backcourt, bringing back Trent should be a major concern this offseason. Ranked in “Tier 5: Top reserves and fringe starters,” 19th overall, he is due a pay raise from his $2.6 million paycheck last year following his post-All-Star-break and playoff performance. This could complicate things for the Bucks, who with limited financial and trade resources cannot afford to overspend on any one player.

Still, re-signing Trent with a portion of their $14.1 million taxpayer midlevel exception would be a wise move. (He is obviously not worth all of that). Currently, the best healthy guard scorer on the roster is AJ Green. Once free agency officially tips off, the Bucks will need to address that area quickly.

While some of Milwaukee’s free agents are important to retain, it is a bit surprising to see two of them in the top 25 across the league. What this indicates, really, is the relative sparseness of the free agency pool. After the top listings, several of whom Pelton notes are quite likely to stay put, there are not a ton of options at any position. Lopez will walk, and the Bucks should let him, but taking Trent back off the board is all the more important given the lack of affordable talent.

This article first appeared on WI Sports Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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