Milwaukee, WI
Projecting Milwaukee Bucks’ 2024-25 Rotation Following Free Agency
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MAY 02: Damian Lillard #0 of the Milwaukee Bucks walks across the court in … [+]
Barring an unexpected trade, the Milwaukee Bucks have filled out their 15-man roster for the 2024-25 season. This gives head coach Doc Rivers the green light to start mapping out his rotation now that free agency has wrapped up.
It was a quiet offseason for Milwaukee, but they managed to acquire three solid veterans on minimum deals who can contribute right away. They balanced that with the infusion of youthful energy, selecting two 19-year-olds in the draft.
Gone are Malik Beasley, Danilo Gallinari, Jae Crowder, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, and Patrick Beverley. In their place are first-round pick AJ Johnson and second-rounder Tyler Smith, along with free-agent signings Delon Wright, Taurean Prince, and Gary Trent Jr.
After taking a peek at their revamped depth chart, let’s dive deeper and predict how the minutes distribution might shake out for the Bucks’ rotation in the 2024-25 NBA season.
Point Guards
Damian Lillard (Starter): 33
The only true point guard on the roster, Damian Lillard, might once again be tasked with logging heavy minutes. He averaged 35.3 minutes per game last season, but Milwaukee might want to dial that back a bit to keep him fresh for a deep postseason run. Rookie AJ Johnson likely won’t be ready to contribute significant minutes yet, but Delon Wright (listed in the next category) can handle some of the point guard duties when Lillard heads to the bench.
Combo Guards
Gary Trent Jr. (Starter): 26
Delon Wright: 20
Gary Trent Jr. isn’t the perfect fit in the backcourt alongside Lillard, but he was the best combo guard available in free agency. He’ll provide elite spacing for Giannis Antetokounmpo and company, offering a slight defensive upgrade from Beasley.
Delon Wright, the Bucks’ best perimeter defender, will be the perfect complement to Lillard and Trent. He can step in for either of them or play alongside them. Meanwhile, rookie AJ Johnson will likely be buried on the bench, focusing on improving his game during his first season.
Wings
Khris Middleton (Starter): 28
AJ Green: 11
Andre Jackson Jr.: 11
Milwaukee would love to keep Khris Middleton’s minutes low, but that will largely depend on the performance of AJ Green and Andre Jackson Jr.
Green is one of the best shooters on the Bucks’ roster and works hard on defense, even if he is physically limited. Ideally, his minutes per game would creep toward 15, but that would come at the expense of someone else in the rotation. Jackson Jr. is the opposite type of player from Green, bringing more athleticism and defensive versatility. Rivers could alternate between these two in the rotation based on nightly matchups.
Forwards
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Starter): 33
Taurean Prince: 23
Antetokounmpo logged 35.2 minutes per game last season, his highest since 2017-18. Ideally, the Bucks would love to reduce that number to around 30 to keep him fresh, but that may not be feasible if they want to stay competitive in the Eastern Conference.
Rivers will have options when Giannis goes to the bench. Bobby Portis will see minutes at the four, and Taurean Prince can also slot in there. Prince will get some run on the wing depending on the lineup Rivers wants to deploy.
Bigs
Brook Lopez (Starter): 30
Bobby Portis: 25
Brook Lopez has been a model of durability throughout his career, but at 36 years old, Milwaukee needs to handle his minutes with caution. They could lighten his load by playing Antetokounmpo at the five, although both Giannis and the Bucks have been hesitant to fully embrace that shift. Balancing Lopez’s minutes while keeping him fresh for the postseason will be key to maintaining their defensive anchor’s effectiveness.
Milwaukee, WI
Bucks waive Pete Nance
With the Bucks having 17 rostered players, cuts were going to have to happen at some point, and Pete Nance is the first casualty. Nance was always the most obvious player to cut because of his non-guaranteed $2.5m contract, which would have become guaranteed if they kept him past Saturday. Also, Milwaukee acquired a fair few guys who play his position via the Giannis trade (Ware, Jaquez, Ament). I should mention that this technically does not proclude the Bucks from signing the big man to another deal, but it feels unlikely, given the aforementioned lack of spots.
This is something of a kick in the guts for many fans, including myself, who really thought Milwaukee had found a diamond in the rough with Nance. The number of times we would remark on Deer Diaries about how he was “always in the right spots” and “did all the little things” was… pretty large! After coming to the Bucks late in the 2024-25 season, Nance had a breakout 2025-26 campaign (although his numbers certainly don’t jump off the page), averaging 5.4 PPG and 2.7 RPG on 51.5% from the field and 42.0% from three. Assuming it isn’t with the Bucks, let’s hope he lands somewhere that gives him a real shot.
Milwaukee, WI
Leaders of ‘United for Venezuela Emergency Relief Campaign’ grateful for support
MILWAUKEE — As Venezuela continues to recover from devastating earthquakes, support from Milwaukee’s “United for Venezuela Emergency Relief Campaign” is soon heading to the disaster-stricken country.
The basement of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church is filled to the brim with donations ticketed for Venezuela, the culmunation of a week of community generosity.
From food to clothing and toys, the outpouring has been remarkable said Father Norberto Sandoval, who is from Venezuela and serves as associate pastor of Blessed Sacrament.
“This [has been] overwhelming,” said Sandoval. “I mean, if you can see [the basement], you were able to get in on Monday. Now we [are not] able to walk.”
(Spectrum News 1/Blake Dietz)
Aura Escobar, who is also from Venezuela, has been doing whatever she can to help her home country, including packing donations. She described the support from friends, coworkers, and strangers as something special to witness.
“In my Venmo, I had three thousand dollars in less than 24 hours,” Escobar said. “And I was able to buy stuff to donate. It’s been amazing. It’s very heartwarming to have so many people that care about Venezuela.”
Due to limited storage capacity and the logistical planning required to transport the supplies to those who need them most, organizers have decided to stop accepting donations after Friday afternoon.
“We have more than a thousand boxes right now. We are expecting two semi-trucks either to move [Friday] in the afternoon or tomorrow,” Sandoval said.
(Spectrum News 1/Blake Dietz)
He acknowledged that corruption in times of trauma is a long-standing concern in Venezuela. For that reason, the trucks will take the local donations to Miami, where a Venezuelan organization he fully trusts will handle the final distribution.
“We have already the person and it’s going to be [done] free. It’s going to be directly to a group of religious groups in Venezuela. So, in that way people will get the donations,” he said.
Sandoval and other organizers are putting out one final plea for volunteers to help load the semi-trucks on Friday and Saturday.
Milwaukee, WI
Do federal agents have to follow Milwaukee’s face-covering and park ordinances?
Video circulating this week shows masked federal agents in Milwaukee arresting people. City leaders say the face coverings violate a city ordinance — but whether federal agents are required to follow local ordinances is a legal question that may ultimately be decided by a federal judge.
RELATED | Father with no criminal record detained by ICE on Milwaukee’s south side, family says
Local attorney Russell Jones said the answer depends on the specific ordinance and what federal authorities are doing.
“The issue becomes whether or not the local ordinances interfere with the operations of the federal officers acting under federal law. If it does, federal law will supersede it. Right, it’s the supremacy clause of the Constitution. If it doesn’t interfere with their operations, then typically they will follow those ordinances. So that’s really the question: do the ordinances interfere with the legitimate operations of the federal agency?” Jones explained.
For the past week, masked federal agents have been seen in Wisconsin arresting people they say are in the country illegally.
Watch: Do federal agents have to follow Milwaukee’s face covering and park ordinances?
Do federal agents have to follow Milwaukee’s face covering and park ordinances?
Galo Suarez described one encounter.
“They broke our side window, and they told us that if we didn’t comply, we would face several heavy consequences,” Suarez said.
Images have also surfaced of what appear to be federal agents in Milwaukee County parks.
Federal agents wearing masks and being in county parks, according to city and county leaders, are against local ordinances.
Milwaukee’s city ordinance prohibits law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings. A Milwaukee County ordinance prohibits any law enforcement agency from using a park as a staging area without a permit.
When asked whether a resolution to the legal question was possible now, Jones said it likely falls to the courts.
“That’s a question that eventually probably some federal judge will answer,” Jones said.
Before the city’s face covering ordinance was passed, City Attorney Evan Goyke wrote in a memo that “it is legal and enforceable.”
Enforcement of the ordinance would fall to Milwaukee Police, who earlier this week said they have “requested a formal written legal opinion from the city attorney’s office regarding the ordinance’s applicability and enforceability.” TMJ4 News reached out to Goyke on this and is waiting to hear back.
ICE has already stated it “will not abide by unconstitutional bans,” noting that “ICE officers wear face coverings for one reason: to protect themselves and their families from real-world threats including agitators.”
Jones said the practical challenge of enforcing a local ordinance against federal officers adds another layer of complexity.
“Enforcing a local ordinance right is typically done with an arrest or issuing a ticket, and certainly arresting ICE officers would interfere with their operations,” Jones added. “Ultimately, a federal judge will decide if these ordinances interfere with federal operations, and if they do, they will be superseded by federal law, and if they don’t, then ICE would likely have to follow them.”
This story was reported on-air by Jenna Rae and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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