Milwaukee Bucks Plan To Use Roster Spot on Familiar Face, Sideline Spark for 2025-26 Season

Somehow, there is already scant space to spare, but the team reportedly plans to roster a popular reserve at the expense of an extra young player.

For those hoping the team would continue to trend younger, giving a chance to youthful talent, this is a disappointing update from the perspective of cold business acumen. In his years with the Bucks, Thanasis was never a big contributor, at least not in the box score.

At the same time, Giannis obviously enjoys having him on the team. His brother does boost the bench vibes. If the Bucks commit to another win-now season, as the Myles Turner signing strongly suggests they will, young players probably won’t have much chance to grow if they can’t yet contribute to winning basketball.

That notion might contradict the new emphasis on developing youth, but when it comes to prospects, fans probably won’t see much philosophical change in practice. Point guard could be an exception if the Bucks fail to sign a veteran free agent. Elsewhere, though, the roster has enough depth, either in the form of pieces they actually like or guys who at least have experience, like Jackson, that rookies shouldn’t expect favorable odds for playing time.

On top of that, Coach Doc Rivers is notoriously resistant to giving youngsters the reins.

Because of this, using a roster spot on Thanasis may not actually cost Milwaukee much. If it makes Giannis happy, re-signing his brother is all but non-negotiable.