Bucks’ roster crunch leaves multiple players on chopping block

Coffey, a 6-foot-7 wing defender coming off his best season in 2024-25, offers the Bucks the size and versatility they need. The roster is already packed with smaller wings in Harris’s mold, but Coffey, at 28, continues to climb while Harris declines. In his 11th year with Orlando, Harris logged limited minutes and managed just three points per game.

In his sixth season with the Clippers, Coffey posted a career-best 9.7 points per game, knocked down 40.9 percent of his three-pointers, and delivered steady defense.

The Bucks’ roster problems

Since the Bucks handed Harris a fully guaranteed two-year deal worth more than $7 million, waiving him instead of Coffey would force them to swallow that cost, which isn’t realistic. Before bringing back Antetokounmpo, cutting Andre Jackson Jr., who carries only $800K guaranteed, looked like a workable path to keep Coffey. With Thanasis back on board, though, that option no longer helps—leaving Coffey as the odd man out.

The Bucks could explore parting ways with 21-year-old Chris Livingston, but his contract guarantees over $2 million. Signed soon after his strong Summer League run, the deal shows the organization’s intent to give him another opportunity. Those factors make Coffey’s chances of sticking with the roster even slimmer.

The Harris signing looked questionable from the start. He is aging, redundant in fit, and trending downward. At best, he will see garbage-time minutes. The Bucks already have AJ Green, Gary Trent Jr., and Ryan Rollins at shooting guard, and at least the first two fit the smaller wing role more naturally.

Inevitably, keeping an extra roster piece has begun to hurt the Milwaukee Bucks. The only way they can avoid a poor outcome, whether by releasing Coffey or paying out Livingston’s contract, is if a trade is already in motion to ease the roster congestion. Supporters can only hope that is the plan.