Milwaukee Bucks Wiretap

Vasilije Micic agreed to give up $6.1 million in his buyout with the Milwaukee Bucks, which allows the team to stretch his cap hit and stay at the 15 percent of the cap allowed in stretched salary.

Micic's remaining $2 million will be stretch over three seasons as opposed to Damian Lillard's over five. Micic plans to return to Europe to continue his career.

Micic was traded by the Charlotte Hornets to the Phoenix Suns ahead of the 2025 trade deadline and then back to the Hornets at the draft. The Bucks acquired Micic from the Hornets as part of the Pat Connaughton trade.

Malcolm Brogdon will likely remain unsigned until after Bradley Beal's situation is resolved. Brogdon has received interest from the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings and Milwaukee Bucks.

The Washington Wizards are open to sign-and-trade discussions involving Brogdon.

Brogdon appeared in 24 games this past season with the Washington Wizards, averaging 12.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 23.5 minutes. Brogdon is 32 and has played for four different teams over the past four seasons as he played out the remainder of his two-year, $45 million extension signed with the Indiana Pacers in 2021.

The Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves are some of the team confirmed to have interest in Bradley Beal if he reached agreement with the Phoenix Suns on a buyout.

The Clippers still have $5.3 million to spend remaining from their non-taxpayer midlevel exception. The Clippers opened up potential minutes at guard with their trade of Norman Powell to the Miami Heat.

Beal is on a five-year, $251 million deal signed originally with the Washington Wizards. Beal has two years remaining on his contract totaling $110 million. Beal will have to take a significant reduction on the buyout in order for his contract to be stretched. Beal will then make some of that contract back up when he signs in free agency. 

In 53 games last season with the Suns, Beal averaged 17.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 32.1 minutes while shooting 38.6 percent on three-pointers. Beal had a PER of 14.9 as his usage dropped from his All-Star performance with the Wizards. Beal had a True Shooting Percenage of .598.

Ryan Rollins and the Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to a three-year, $12 million contract. Rollins signed with the Bucks on a Two-Way deal in February 2024 and continued on that contract for most of the 2024-25 season before being converted to a standard deal in March. Rollins signed a contract for the remainder of the seaoson in order to test free agency.

In his final 10 games of the regular season, with Damian Lillard sidelined, Rollins averaged 12.3 points and four assists on 58% from 3-point range.

Rollins was originally a second round pick in 2022 to the Golden State Warriors. 

The Bucks have also re-signed Bobby Portis, Kevin Porter, Taurean Prince and Gary Trent while also adding Myles Turner as they try to continue building around Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

The Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns explored a possible trade for Bradley Beal this week, sources told Jake Fischer of The People's Insider.

The discussions ultimately came to an end without any traction.

It is now expected that the Suns buy Beal out of his contract at around the $90 million range. Stretched over five years, the buyout would create a $18 million annual cap hit. 

Beal has two years remaining on his contract totaling $110 million.

Should Beal get bought out, the Heat and the Bucks would have interested in acquiring the guard.

Beal hasn't played at least 60 games since the 2020-21 season. 

Damian Lillard is open to signing with a team this offseason as he continues to rehab if the terms and conditions match what he is looking for now that he has been waived-and-stretched by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Lillard has received considerable interest, but he is in no rush to make a decision.

Lillard has been expected to rehabilitate his torn Achilles in Portland after spending the past two seasons away from home with the Bucks.

Chris Paul is believed to be deciding between the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks in free agency. Paul is coming off a one-year, $11 million deal he signed with the San Antonio Spurs during the 2024 offseason. Paul played in all 82 games for the Spurs.

Paul previously played for both the Clippers and Suns, while he would have the opportunity to reunite with Doc Rivers if he were to sign with the Bucks. The future of Giannis Antetokounmpo with the Bucks could factor into Paul's decision to sign with a team further from the West Coast.

"Chris Paul has levels of interest from the Clippers, Suns and the Bucks," said Shams Charania on a Thursday afternoon Sports Center appearance. "I'm told he had a conversation with Bucks' officials on Wednesday. He told the Pat McAfee Show several weeks ago that his preference is to stay on the West Coast. He is sorting through options right now. Whether on the West Coast, or a team like Milwaukee."

Paul averaged 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists last season.

The Milwaukee Bucks have waived Chris Livingston to open up a roster spot before his salary of $2.2 million becomes guaranteed on July 15. Livingston was the No. 58 pick int the 2023 NBA draft. Livingston earned the largest deal ever for a second-round pick at $7.7 million over four years. The first two years of that contract were guaranteed outright.

Livingston appeared in only 42 games for the Bucks over the past two seasons. Livingston averaged 18 points and 7.9 rebounds per game for the Herd last season.

Jon Horst and the Milwaukee Bucks took the unprecedented move to use the waive-and-stretch provision on the remaining $113 million on Damian Lillard's contract. Lillard is not expected to play next season due to his Achilles injury, leaving the Bucks with $54.1 million in dead money.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst explained the financial strategy behind Milwaukee's decision on Wednesday's Hoop Collective Podcast. The move allows the Bucks to add productive talent while managing their luxury tax situation.

The waive-and-stretch provision drops Lillard's cap hit to $22.5 million for the 2025-26 season. Milwaukee subsequently added Myles Turner at $27 million for Year 1, giving them a productive player for approximately the same salary slot Lillard would have occupied.

"So, I had somebody explain a version of the strategy to me," said Windhorst. "I'm not endorsing this. I'm just going to tell you what I was explained. Somebody explained why—how the Bucks could justify this. So, Dame is on the books $22.5 million, let's call it $23 million. Myles Turner's deal averages $27 million a year. So, basically for the next four years, it's $50 million for the two of them. So this year Dame was on the cap for a little over $50 million and that was a—you know, a blank spot on the cap. Maybe he comes back. Let's just assume that he doesn't. Maybe he does. But it's $50 million you weren't going to get production out of."

"So now they reduced the Dame number to $23 million for this year and they bring in Myles Turner and it's again about $15 million. And so now you have a productive player in that $50 million spot. And secondly, you reduce yourself below the luxury tax and so you are in theory not paying tax and you get access to the distribution which I don't know, let's say it's $10 million. We don't know what it's going to be."

The Bucks will continue to carry Lillard's $22.5 million in dead money on their cap sheet for three additional seasons. This represents the cost of gaining immediate roster flexibility and avoiding luxury tax penalties for the upcoming season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Myles Turner are "excited" at the idea of playing together, sources told Shams Charania of ESPN.

The Bucks signed Turner to a four-year deal on Tuesday while also waiving-and-stretching Damian Lillard. 

It was initially reported that Antetokounmpo was "unhappy" at the Bucks decision to part ways with Lillard. 

"He just didn't like the way it was handled," according to Chris Haynes. 

With Antetokounmpo participating in the recruitment of Turner, he is expected to remain with the Bucks next season. 

Charania added that Antetokounmpo is planning to evaluate the totality of the Bucks offseason before making his decision.

The Bucks are rumored to be looking for a new point guard.