Hanifan's Offseason Outlook: Evaluating the Milwaukee Bucks' 2025 offseason

For our second annual offseason outlook series, Hot Hot Hoops senior writer Matt Hanifan will provide his take on the offseasons of all 30 teams for the next 30 days! We will proceed in alphabetical order, starting with the Eastern Conference. Today, we will be evaluating the Milwaukee Bucks’ offseason.

Past Previews:

Sept. 1: Atlanta Hawks
Sept. 2: Boston Ce l tics
Sept. 3: Brooklyn Nets
Sept. 4: Charlotte Hornets
Sept. 5: Chicago Bulls
Sept. 6: Cleveland Cavaliers
Sept. 7: Detroit Pistons
Sept. 8: Indiana Pacers

Evaluating the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2025 offseason:

Additions: Myles Turner, Cole Anthony, Gary Harris, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Amir Coffey

Subtractions: Pat Connaughton, Damian Lillard (waive-and-stretched), Brook Lopez (Clippers), Stanley Umude

Re-signed: Bobby Portis, Taurean Prince, Gary Trent Jr., Kevin Porter Jr., Ryan Rollins, Chris Livingston,

Draft: NONE

Hanifan’s outlook: Coming off a 48-win season, the Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated in the first round for the third-straight season, losing in five games to the Indiana Pacers.

As a result, questions about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with the organization flooded headlines. He never formally requested a trade, and the Bucks were reportedly not willing to trade him.

But when you’re desperate to keep your superstar, you make desperate decisions.

The Bucks shockingly poached Myles Turner away from the Indiana Pacers, but it came at the expense of waiving and stretching Damian Lillard, who will miss the 2025-26 season with a torn Achilles.

Lillard will be on their books for north of $22 million over the next five seasons — yes, FIVE seasons. When you’re trying to compete for a championship, having ~$22 million in dead money year after year is terrible process. Every dollar matters.

In total, the Bucks will be paying Turner and Lillard $47.4 million in 2025-26, $48.6 million in ’26-27, $49.9 million in ’27-28 and $51.1 million in ’28-29. Yikes!

Milwaukee did a good job adding Cole Anthony and Gary Harris at an inexpensive price while retaining Trent, Prince, Livingston and Portis. But the risk of adding Turner — a very good Lopez replacement who’s continued to improve multiple areas of his game — at the expense of Lillard sours their offseason for me, personally.

You have to take risks to win a title, but the Bucks aren’t title contenders (with all due respect, Giannis). I think they’ll still be more competitive than most think, though.