Bucks Receive Brutal Prediction on 2025-26 Season By NBA Insider

The Milwaukee Bucks have a bit of a new look this offseason, with some additions to the roster, as well as losing a few key names.

With the increased changes this offseason, The Ringer's Michael Pina recently predicted that Bucks general manager Jon Horst is one of the biggest names in the league who is under the most pressure going into this season, and led Pina to believe that Milwaukee may have a grim future.

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Since Horst took over ahead of the 2017-18 campaign, he has a championship to his name, but has advanced past the second round of the playoffs just once aside from the Finals run. The past three seasons, however, have all ended in the first round.

Pina believes that the current roster placed around superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo isn't quite enough to compete for a championship. In fact, he went as far as saying that the ceiling for Milwaukee is a fourth-straight first-round playoff exit, with their floor being a lottery team that currently doesn't have control of their own draft pick.

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The roster that Pina criticized has the 23rd lowest payroll in the league as things currently stand, and have added 29-year-old Myles Turner to place alongside the Greek Freak. The Turner move, though, is something that Pina called a "marginal short-term upgrade with adverse financial ramifications."

Pina also pointed out his disdain with Horst's comments on power forward Kyle Kuzma last month, despite Kuzma having one of his least efficient seasons during the 2024-25 campaign.

"He’s a plus-plus defender at multiple positions and he’s a guy that offensively, when he plays with confidence and plays within the flow, is very impactful."

Pina doesn't seem to be alone in his critiques of Milwaukee, but the question that remains is if there is any truth to his words. The additions of Turner, as well as point guard Cole Anthony, piece together productive assets around Antetokounmpo as Milwaukee will look to make a deep playoff run.

As for the Eastern Conference, things have never seemed more wide open. With both Indiana Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton and Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum out for (likely) the entire regular season with Achilles tears, there has never been more opportunity for Milwaukee.

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