Predicting Which Players Bucks Bring Back Next Season

The Milwaukee Bucks are in a tough spot with their roster currently after being taken out by the Indiana Pacers in five games in the first round.

The Bucks have not made it to the Eastern Conference finals since winning the championship back in 2021, so they are in desperate need of retooling the roster.

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Unfortunately, they don't have a lot of flexibility, so this offseason will be a difficult one. Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton, and Kevin Porter Jr. all have player options.

After barely playing down the stretch, Connaughton probably will accept his $9 million player option, but that doesn't neccesarily mean he will be on the team next year.

That $9 million is an interesting number to use as salary matching in a potential trade. It is hard to see what kind of trade at the moment, but him accepting the option isn't really a bad thing.

Portis and Porter Jr. will likely want longer-term contracts, so it seems likely both will opt out. Both are worth more than $13 million and $2.5 million, respectively. They were each playing important roles on the team in the playoffs, so both are likely to be signed long-term, especially Portis.

Regarding free agency, the Bucks have to decide on Brook Lopez, Gary Trent Jr., Jericho Sims, and Taurean Prince. Out of those guys, Gary Trent Jr. seems like the only one who is certain to return.

Without Trent Jr., the first-round series against the Pacers would have been an ugly one. He was the only player who consistently helped out Giannis on the offensive end. That means he should return on a decent deal.

Brook Lopez is likely gone unless he is willing to return on a cheap 1-year deal. He has been on the Bucks for a while due to his perfect fit with Giannis, but his play has deteriorated enough to not be worth keeping around as a starting center.

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Sims should be brought back, especially if Lopez leaves, and Prince is likely gone after being phased out of the rotation in the playoffs. He is similar to Lopez in the sense that he had solid production at points during the regular season, but when the games got tough, he wasn't reliable enough to be worth big money.

The top players in Giannis and Lillard should be back barring something drastic, and Kyle Kuzma should be back given his trade value tanked in the playoffs.

Overall, the Bucks have multiple tough decisions to make this offseason to try and maintain flexibility. The real way to improve the roster will be through trades, so who they resign and who they let go will be extremely important for their future.

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