Milwaukee, WI
Everything To Know About The Milwaukee Bucks 2024 Offseason
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – OCTOBER 26: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 and Damian Lillard #0 of the Milwaukee … [+]
The Milwaukee Bucks are heading into the 2024 offseason with high expectations and a myriad of challenges. Fresh off a 49-33 season and a disappointing playoff exit, the Bucks face crucial decisions that will shape their future. Here’s a comprehensive look at what’s at stake for Milwaukee this offseason.
Draft Picks: Adding Fresh Talent
The Bucks are positioned with two semi-valuable picks in the upcoming NBA Draft: No. 23 (via New Orleans) and No. 33 (via Portland). These picks are vital for infusing new, young talent into the roster. Given their salary cap constraints, hitting on these picks could provide much-needed depth and potential future assets for the team or they could set the stage for a bigger trade.
Free Agency: Tough Decisions
Milwaukee’s own free agent’s list includes key players like Malik Beasley, Jae Crowder, Patrick Beverley, Danilo Gallinari, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, and TyTy Washington Jr. The Bucks are projected to exceed the luxury tax threshold, with $183 million in committed salary, $12 million over the tax limit. As a second-apron team once they complete their roster, they will face numerous restrictions, making it challenging to attract free agents. How they navigate these waters will be crucial for maintaining their competitive edge.
The potential loss of Beasley, Crowder, and Beverley, who collectively averaged 23.5 points per game, is significant. Milwaukee must decide between signing veterans to minimum deals or developing young talent like AJ Green, MarJon Beauchamp, Chris Livingston, Andre Jackson Jr., and their draft picks. Developing these young players could provide long-term stability but comes with risks of inconsistency.
Evaluating the Roster: Health and Potential
The Bucks’ roster is a blend of high-cost, high-end players whose health has been a concern. Key injuries to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard played a significant role in their early playoff exit. Under new head coach Doc Rivers, the team struggled to find consistency, finishing 17-18 after his midseason appointment. The trio of Antetokounmpo, Lillard, and Khris Middleton played only eight games together, but their on-court synergy showed promise with a +17.5 net rating. Assessing whether this core can stay healthy and gel effectively is a primary focus.
Financial Tightrope: Navigating the Cap
With $152 million committed to just four players (Lillard, Middleton, Antetokounmpo, and Brook Lopez), the Bucks have limited financial flexibility. Their likely status as a second-apron team restricts their ability to make certain trades and signings, pushing them to be creative in building their roster.
Extension Eligible
Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton are extension eligible this offseason. Portis is eligible for a four-year, $78.9 million extension. He has been instrumental off the bench and would be a valuable long-term asset. Connaughton is another candidate for an extension, providing veteran depth and stability. If they aren’t going to extend either player, a trade is a very plausible scenario.
Biggest Needs: Athleticism and Ball-Handling
Milwaukee’s weaknesses were on full-display on the first round of the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers. The Bucks lacked the necessary athleticism to hang with Indiana throughout the entire series, and enough ball-handlers to get them through individual games. Look for them to address both needs this offseason.
Future Draft Assets: Limited Flexibility
Due to past trades, Milwaukee’s future draft assets are limited. They can trade their 2024 and 2031 first-round picks on draft night, but other picks are encumbered. This limitation necessitates a focus on maximizing the current roster’s potential and making shrewd moves to maintain competitiveness.
Last Word
The Bucks’ 2024 offseason is a balancing act of financial constraints, strategic roster moves, and player development. With Rivers at the helm and key players aiming for a healthy return, the Bucks have the core for another title run. The decisions made this summer will be crucial in determining whether they can capitalize on their championship window. The stakes are high, and the goal is clear: Bring another championship to Milwaukee.
Milwaukee, WI
Same name keeps coming up in mock drafts as possible Bucks selection
Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam talks greater involvement, Giannis future
Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam says that he will have a greater involvement with the team and that includes the decision on if to re-sign Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Milwaukee Bucks know their placement in the 2026 NBA Draft, slotted No. 10 for their first lottery pick in a decade. Who are some of the possible selections at that spot when June 23 rolls around?
Check out what the first post-lottery wave of mock drafts has to say, most of them pointing to same prospect, that being Nate Ament of Tennessee, a 6-10 freshman small forward.
Nate Ament, forward, Tennessee
From Spencer Woo of ESPN: “While Ament’s stock has slipped from an early top-five projection, he had productive stretches this season within a tricky team context and has room to help himself in workouts. Although scouts are split on whether he has star potential or projects better as a long-term supporting player, there is still plenty of intrigue around Ament in the lottery. As a tall skill player with shotmaking upside, Ament fits a player archetype that teams often love to swing on. As Milwaukee considers a post-Antetokounmpo future, a malleable upside swing such as Ament could be a fit.”
Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo! Sports: “The Bucks should take a swing to jump-start their new era, whether or not Giannis Antetokounmpo is part of it. Players who can handle, shoot off the dribble, and stand at 6-foot-10 don’t grow on trees. This physical foundation kept Ament in lottery consideration even after a dreadful start to his freshman season when he struggled to score efficiently and make an impact defensively. But over the second half of the year for Tennessee, he flipped a switch and shots began to fall. He averaged 23.8 points over a six-game stretch in January and February that reminded everyone why he was a top recruit in the country. Then he dealt with an ankle injury that ruined his momentum entering March and he severely struggled during the tournament. Bucks general manager Jon Horst has never been afraid to take risks though. If Ament pans out, it could look like a stroke of genius.”
Gary Parrish of CBS Sports: “Ament had an up-and-down freshman season for the Vols – but the upside isn’t hard to spot. Less than a year ago, the 2025 McDonald’s All-American was considered a possible top-five pick. So getting Ament here would be nice for a Bucks franchise that seems on the verge of rebuilding after presumably trading Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason.”
The Ringer: “Barring some transactional magic, this could be Milwaukee’s best bite at the talent apple in the draft for a while. The Bucks don’t currently have control over a first-round pick until 2031. If Giannis Antetokounmpo decides it’s time to move on, this roster will be rudderless and talent-deprived. If Giannis decides not to move on, it’ll have a rudder but still won’t go anywhere. Less than ideal, but that makes this a ‘best player available’ scenario, or rather ‘best wager available.’ There are definitely more stable options in this range, but Ament’s higher possible outcomes justify this pick. Ament fell short of expectations this past season, and he slid from top-five consideration as a result, but the jumbo-sized, smooth-moving ball handler is still a worthy bet here. Handling the ball at 6-foot-10 is an intriguing enough skill to instill some belief that he could develop into a quality asset. And the Bucks can take the risk given their circumstances.
Adam Finkelstein of CBS Sports: “Ament is a polarizing prospect with a wide range of outcomes on draft night. A late-blooming 6-foot-10 combo-forward who is fluid, has touch, and skill, he’s also inconsistent and needs to get stronger. While his freshman year was up and down, Ament’s overall arc has been linear, and there’s still glaring potential. That upside makes him a logical choice for a Milwaukee team that has a very uncertain future ahead of them.”
Brian Lewis of New York Post: “After the run on guards, taking an upside swing on a gifted developmental player here seems like a worthy gamble for a Bucks team that could be in full-on rebuild in a post-Giannis era.”
Two other names mentioned
From Eric Nehm of The Athletic: “This was an incredibly difficult pick to make without knowing what the Bucks are going to do with Giannis Antetokounmpo. If the 10-time All-Star forward remains in Milwaukee, it might make more sense to look at someone like Yaxel Lendeborg, who could make an impact right away and give the Bucks more size and skill. Instead, though, I went with Philon, who has a lot of offensive upside and could be protected on the defensive end by Ryan Rollins. Philon is an electrifying offensive player who shot 50 percent from the field and 39 percent from 3 while averaging 22 points, 3.5 rebounds and five assists per game last season.”
From Kurt Helin of NBC Sports: “The Bucks need all the backcourt help they can get, and Burries may not be flashy, but he does a lot of things well — he can play on and off the ball, can knock down catch-and-shoot jumpers but also attack closeouts, and he gets downhill off screens and has a midrange pull-up game.”
Milwaukee, WI
Brad Paisley to perform at BMO Pavilion in Milwaukee on Sept. 4
Brad Paisley (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE – Brad Paisley is scheduled to perform at the BMO Pavilion in Milwaukee on Sept. 4.
Ticket information
What we know:
The ticket pre-sale for Brad’s fan club members, Paisley Nation, begins on Tuesday, May 12 at 10 am. All tickets available at BradPaisley.com.
The tour will also offer a variety of VIP packages and experiences for fans to take their concert experience to the next level.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Packages vary but include premium seats, a guided backstage tour, VIP-exclusive gift item, early entry & more. VIP package contents vary depending on the selected offer. For more information, visit VIPnation.com.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by Live Nation.
Milwaukee, WI
WSJ: Billionaire Milwaukee Bucks co-owner targeted in extortion scheme – UPI.com
Billionaire Wes Edens, co-founder of Fortress Investment Group and co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks NBA club, is shown at Sun Valley, Idaho, on July 9, 2015. The Wall Street Journal on Sunday identified Edens as the victim of a billion-dollar extortion plot allegedly hatched by an ex-lover. File Photo by Andrew Gombert/EPA
May 10 (UPI) — Wes Edens, the billionaire co-founder of Fortress Investment Group and an owner of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, was the target of a billion-dollar extortion scheme allegedly perpetrated by an ex-lover, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
A spokesman for Edens, 64, confirmed to the newspaper that the financier is the unnamed alleged victim in a federal indictment brought against Changli “Sophia” Luo of New York City.
Edens, one of world’s most successful global investment management firm leaders with Fortress, has developed and owned businesses in real estate, transportation, infrastructure, health care, financial services, media and entertainment.
He is also a high-profile sports team owner, including the Bucks and soccer club Aston Villa of the English Premier League. He is credited turning the Bucks from a perennial cellar dweller into a champion squad over a five-year span, culminating in the 2021 NBA championship.
But he also fell victim to a lurid alleged “sextortion” scheme, his spokesman confirmed to the WSJ, admitting the Edens is the unnamed “Victim 1” cited an indictment filed last year in Manhattan federal court against Luo.
The indictment reportedly accuses her of trying to extort Victim 1 of more than $1 billion by threatening to release videos and photos of them engaged in sex. Prosecutors alleged Luo also threatened to contact the victim’s family members and business partners in a threat to destroy his fortune if he did not pay up.
According to the indictment, Luo was arrested June 14 at JFK International Airport as she tried to board a flight to China, the New York Post reported.
“Mr. Edens will be making no comment on the case as the indictment speaks for itself with respect to the charges against the defendant,” his spokesman told the Journal. “Mr. Edens expects to testify under oath at the upcoming trial.”
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