Feb 3, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Ducas (88) fights for a rebound with Milwaukee Bucks forward Chris Livingston (7) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Bucks Cut Third-Year Forward Ahead of Regular Season

Originally posted on Milwaukee Bucks on SI
By Alex Kirschenbaum | Last updated Oct 19, 2025 1:30 PM ET

The Milwaukee Bucks are ditching a young player inked to a guaranteed contract ahead of the start of the 2025-26 NBA season.

Shams Charania of ESPN reports that Milwaukee has opted to waive third-year forward Chris Livingston, the No. 58 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of the University of Kentucky. He had agreed to a $2.3 million guaranteed contract with Milwaukee this summer, but the team is prioritizing more established veterans along the periphery of its roster.

Per Charania's ESPN colleague Bobby Marks, the Bucks currently have 14 guaranteed deals. Milwaukee reportedly intends to promote Exhibit 9 signing Amir Coffey, a solid 3-and-D wing who was shockingly available on a non-guaranteed deal. That would improve the Bucks' tally to 15 players for 15 standard roster spots.

More Moves to be Made in Milwaukee This Offseason

But another move still needs to be made, as guard Andre Jackson Jr.'s partly guaranteed deal (only $800K of his contract is guaranteed as of this writing) will become fully guaranteed on the first day of the regular season — Tuesday, October 21. Retaining Jackson would give Milwaukee 16 players for 15 spots.

Livingston was on a guaranteed $2.3M contract

Milwaukee with 14 guaranteed contracts now

The Bucks have Andre Jackson Jr. on a partial and Amir Coffey on a camp deal.

The Jackson Jr. contract becomes fully guaranteed if not waived by the 1st day of the regular season.

He has… https://t.co/xx5X4rxone
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) October 16, 2025

This isn't even the first time Livingston has been waived by the Bucks this offseason. Milwaukee initially cut him on July 2, re-signing him on July 16 to the aforementioned fully guaranteed deal, which the club is now reportedly ditching.

NBA sources have informed ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel that the Bucks plan to cut another young piece signed to a fully guaranteed deal, power forward Tyler Smith, on Monday. Jackson, per Siegel, is a favorite young player of head coach Doc Rivers.

The Bucks are expected to waive Tyler Smith, league sources told @ClutchPoints.

Smith, Andre Jackson Jr. (a Doc Rivers favorite), and Amir Coffey have been competing for Milwaukee’s final roster spots.

A final decision is looming for the Bucks.
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) October 18, 2025

Livingston has yet to make a dent at the NBA level, and spent much of his first two seasons with the Bucks' G League affiliate. Across 42 career games, he boasts averages of 1.3 points on 40.8 percent field goal shooting and 75 percent free throw shooting and 1.3 rebounds a night.

Across 27 regular season NBAGL games (21 starts) for the Bucks' affiliate the Wisconsin Herd between 2023-24 and 2024-25, Livingston averaged 15.7 points on .475/.336/.691 shooting splits, 7.4 boards, 1.6 dimes, 1.2 swipes and 0.7 rejections a night.

This article first appeared on Milwaukee Bucks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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