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[Milwaukee Bucks]

Summer League Recap: Bulls 102, Bucks 96

Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

Jahmir Young torched Milwaukee with 37 points

The Chicago Bulls took down the Milwaukee Bucks, 102-96, in a high-intensity contest. Chicago rattled off a big run to start the fourth quarter and rode that momentum to victory. Jahmir Young ended the game with 37 points, while Javon Freeman-Liberty added 23. Chris Livingston led Milwaukee once again with 23 points. The Bucks are now 1-3 in Summer League play with one game remaining.

Game Recap​

Milwaukee opened the game with a lineup of Markquis Nowell, Andre Jackson Jr., Livingston, Tyler Smith, and Pete Nance. The Bulls started Young, Freeman-Liberty, Emanuel Miller, Mãozinha Pereira, and Lachlan Olbrich. Matas Buzelis did not suit up—he’s been shut down for the remainder of Summer League, as happens often with young players of his caliber. Noa Essengue also sat out. Jamaree Bouyea, Mark Sears, Frankie Fidler, and Blaise Threatt were in street clothes for the Bucks.

Chicago delivered the first blow of the game a minute in when Javon Freeman-Liberty threw in a prayer of a floater. Milwaukee’s first points came from Tyler Smith at the free throw line on the next possession. Both teams were engaged on defense early, and easy shots were hard to come by. The Bulls leaned on Jahmir Young, who scored ten points in the period. Chris Livingston also came out hot, riding the high from signing his new guaranteed contract. He chipped in seven of Milwaukee’s first 14 points and nine in the quarter overall. Stanley Umude came off the bench and knocked down two triples, including one off a crisp extra pass from Bogoljub Markovic at the 1:00 mark. In the final few seconds, Wooga Poplar blew a transition layup that led to a Cormac Ryan three, and the Bucks led 27-22 through the opening frame.

Umude got the scoring started in the second with a fierce lefty slam over Chicago’s backup center, David Muoka. Markovic followed that play up with a dunk of his own, a little double-clutch two-hander in transition. The Bulls called a timeout after that, and Milwaukee’s bench erupted in cheers. The Bucks couldn’t get on a run, though, as Mãozinha Pereira banked in a runner after the stoppage and Yuki Kawamura put in a mid-range jumper on the next play. However, over the course of the period, Milwaukee built a double-digit lead behind contributions from all of their guys. Pete Nance, who’s been a steady presence for the team throughout their Vegas trip, hit his first jumper of the afternoon around the 4:30 mark. Smith was having another tough quarter, missing two more open threes and looking openly frustrated, but with 1:30 remaining, he sprang up and threw down a dunk over Pereira. That play must have given him an injection of confidence, as the next time down the floor, he finally canned an outside shot. Thirty seconds later, Chicago faithful got a jolt of jubilation when Kawamura, a fan favorite, forced an eight-second violation, and Young finished a tough and-one that cut the lead to single digits. At the end of the half, Milwaukee was ahead by exactly ten, holding a 55-45 lead. Young led all scorers with 21 points through two periods, while Livingston paced the Bucks with fourteen.

Chicago scored a quick three points in transition to start the half, getting a free throw from Emanuel Miller and a layup from Freeman-Liberty. Determined to prevent a run, Andre Jackson Jr. galloped down the court and tried to detonate for a dunk, but he was fouled hard and had to settle for free throws. The Bulls didn’t get the message, and they pieced together a 7-3 push to cut the lead to just six. The intensity of the game picked up, and the two division rivals were going blow for blow. The Bucks were nursing just a five-point lead when they called a timeout at the 4:50 mark. Freeman-Liberty was leading the comeback charge for Chicago, and he notched eight points in the quarter in total. His knack for tough shotmaking helped him overcome swarming defense from Wade Taylor IV. Things were getting too close for comfort, and despite going on a 7-0 run after the two-minute warning, the Bucks held just a 75-69 advantage through three quarters.

Pereira went on an impressive 7-0 individual run for Chicago to start the fourth, throwing down two dunks and connecting on a three off a jaw-dropping behind-the-back pass from Kawamura. Just like that, the Bulls had the lead. Livingston responded with a dunk of his own, but then Young cashed back-to-back threes from the right wing. Everything was coming up Chicago, and they held a five-point lead when a timeout was called inside the 7:00 mark. Oh, how the turn tables. The Thomas & Mack Center clamored with celebration when Kawamura hit a three to give his team an eight-point advantage, and things got even louder when Young finished another and-one. Bulls fans travel well, apparently. Around the 3:00 mark, a few Chicago turnovers opened the door for Milwaukee to stop the bleeding and cut the lead back down to three. Then, Young delivered yet another timely trifecta, and Freeman-Liberty back-cut Nance for a layup that put Chi-Town up eight. In the end, the Bulls were able to ice out any comeback attempt and pull out the win.

Stat That Stood Out​

Jahmir Young’s 37-piece came on 12/17 shooting from the field and 6/7 from three. All in all, it was a dominant performance from the little guard, one of the best any player has had in Summer League up to this point.

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Source: https://www.brewhoop.com/2025/7/16/...ng-chris-livingston-tyler-smith-yuki-kawamura

 

[Milwaukee Bucks]

Bucks re-sign Chris Livingston

NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Third-year wing gets another chance after recently being waived

Just a few weeks ago, Chris Livingston was waived before his contract became guaranteed. In a surprising turn of events, the 2023 draftee will have another opportunity to prove himself in Milwaukee. Per Shams Charania, Livingston is signing a one-year, $2.3 million deal to return to the Bucks.

The Bucks had been in pursuit of Bradley Beal, but after he signed with the Clippers this afternoon, the team quickly pivoted and inked a deal with Livingston.

Livingston remains unproven in the NBA, with just 42 appearances in two years. He has, however, made the most of his opportunities in Summer League action thus far. Through three games he has averaged 20 PPG while shooting 50% from the field and 37.5% from three. As some of the young Bucks have disappointed in Vegas, Livingston has played well and is now being rewarded.

With Livingston officially on the books for the upcoming season, the Bucks’ roster is full at 15. Although, Andre Jackson Jr.’s contract has not been guaranteed yet and if the Bucks choose not to bring him back, that would open a roster spot. And of course, the trade market remains an option if management wants to continue changing the roster.

The team was in need of another wing, and Livingston is by no means a flashy option, but the front office believes in him enough to give him a fully-guaranteed deal. By no means does the signing rule out any further moves, but for now, the roster is full and Bucks fans will have to hope Livingston can take a leap forward this season.

Source: https://www.brewhoop.com/2025/7/16/24469001/nba-free-agency-re-sign-chris-livingston

 

[Milwaukee Bucks]

Damian Lillard returns to Portland

Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images

Dame heads back home after two years with the Bucks

After being waived and stretched by the Milwaukee Bucks, star point guard Damian Lillard is reportedly heading back to the Portland Trail Blazers, per Shams Charania of ESPN. The deal is for three years and is worth $42m ($14m average annual value) and not only does it have a player option for the 2026–2027 season, but a full no-trade clause.

FROM SHAMS: BREAKING: Nine-time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard is finalizing a three-year, $42 million contract to return to the Portland Trail Blazers, sources tell ESPN. Deal is expected to include a player option in 2027-28 and a no-trade clause. A storybook reunion home for the 35-year-old.

— Shams Charania Tweets (& Other NBA News) (@shamsbot.bsky.social) 2025-07-17T21:19:51.951029+00:00

Shams continued to fill in more details about how this signing came together, reporting the following:

“Lillard and the Trail Blazers both deeply cared about the comeback in recent weeks—with multiple meetings among the Portland franchise icon, general manager Joe Cronin and head coach Chauncey Billups to bond together and move forward united on a new deal.”

From the reports that continue to come out from Shams, it looks like Lillard will sit out the entirety of the 2025–26 season, using it to rehab his torn Achilles. Throughout this process, Dame returning home to where his family and kids are was of the utmost importance to him. That truly seemed to be on his mind the most, with him reportedly getting offers of both the mid-level exception and veteran’s minimum from NBA contenders. The details of all of this are still being worked out by Dame’s agent and the Blazers, which will also affect the cap hit the Bucks will carry on their books for his stretched salary.

While there have been questions about who Blazers GM Joe Cronin has run the team over the last few years, he has done some good work with the Dame and Jrue Holiday trades. In those trades, they got Toumani Camara, Robert Williams, and other assets. Now they have Dame, Holiday, Camara, Williams, and three first-rounders from the Bucks (unprotected in 2029 and two pick swaps).

FROM SHAMS: Portland traded Damian Lillard for Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, assets in 2023 – then Holiday to Boston for Robert Williams III, Malcolm Brogdon, assets (one led to Deni Avdija). Now, Blazers have Lillard and Holiday, plus Avdija, Williams, Camara, a 2029 first, two MIL swaps.

— Shams Charania Tweets (& Other NBA News) (@shamsbot.bsky.social) 2025-07-17T21:45:06.372906+00:00

It’s a bit of a storybook potential end for Dame’s career, for him to come back to the team where he made his mark in the NBA. Personally, I’m glad he didn’t go to the Boston Celtics, after Jayson Tatum had been recruiting the free agent point guard to play for the C’s. It was bad enough to see one former fan favorite All-Star point guard in Celtics green, but I don’t think Bucks fans would have been able to handle seeing Dame there either.

While the partnership was short between Dame and Giannis, it was one of the most entertaining two-year stretches for the Milwaukee Bucks. Having two of the best 75 players to ever play the game, and the feeling of seeing that tweet hit our phones was sensational. While it never lived up to that hype and hope due to injuries to Giannis and Dame, it was still fun to watch them play together.

We wish Dame a speedy recovery back home in Portland and can’t wait to see him at Fiserv Forum in 2026.

Source: https://www.brewhoop.com/2025/7/17/...ree-agency-milwaukee-bucks-giannis-shams-espn

 

[Milwaukee Bucks]

Bucks Reacts Survey Results: Fans prefer starting Kevin Porter Jr.

Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images

Fans wanted Beal too, but alas...

In Reacts this week, we asked you some more questions about the Bucks’ somewhat new-look backcourt for 2025–26 now that Cole Anthony has officially signed. While Anthony has been a starting point guard in the past, it’s been a few years since he moved to the Magic’s second unit, which was where Kevin Porter Jr. plied his trade for the Bucks after arriving last February. In fact, it was Ryan Rollins who drew the starting gig most of the time when new/old Portland Trail Blazer Damian Lillard was out. Of the two returning options and the new guy, who’s the preference?

I do agree that KPJ is the best option of the three, though I hope to see Rollins get a lot of time in the backcourt too. The beauty of Milwaukee’s point guard situation is that while it’s lacking in star power, it’s versatile; Anthony is more confined to the one, but the other two are combo guys. Either can handle or play off-ball, though Rollins is the ballhandler I’m the least confident in among their options at point. That being said, Rollins is also the best defender of the trio, so it’s my hope he can evolve into the youthful, athletic point-of-attack defender Milwaukee has been searching for since Jrue Holiday and Jevon Carter left town.

As I’ve mentioned, a few weeks ago, 65% of voters thought the Bucks needed a different starting point guard than KPJ. In the interim, Rollins re-signed and Anthony joined, so did Porter win some favor during that time? Did some of that 65% swing towards him, upping the 35% of people who wanted him to start to 54%? Or is he just the best option of what Milwaukee has on hand? I’d be curious to hear your rationale if you thought they needed a different starting PG, but now also think KPJ should be the guy.

We also asked about if you wanted Milwaukee to sign a higher-profile name who at that point, hadn’t officially hit the market. But Bradley Beal’s buyout befell Bucks backers on Wednesday with news that he’d then sign with the Clippers, as had been rumored. That was enough time, however, to see whether or not most voters wanted him, and it appeared they did:

Beal reportedly signed with Los Angeles using their taxpayer mid-level exception of around $5.7m, which was a sum Milwaukee couldn’t quite match after committing most of their room exception (a different form of the MLE available to teams who create cap space, as Milwaukee did to sign Myles Turner) to Porter. Since Beal had to give back about $13.9m of the two years and $110m remaining on his contract to the Suns, it makes sense he’d opt for the two-year, $11m deal from the Clippers and recoup as much of his losses as possible.

Had the Bucks been able to land him, he would have provided a needed credible second scoring option next to Giannis, but it would have created quite the logjam at the two with Gary Trent Jr.’s return and AJ Green sticking around. I suppose all three guys could also play the three, but the Bucks would then be pretty small as all of them are listed at 6’4” or 6’5”. It’s a moot point, in any case.

Brought to you by FanDuel.

Source: https://www.brewhoop.com/2025/7/18/...n-porter-jr-starting-point-guard-bradley-beal

 

[Milwaukee Bucks]

Summer League Recap: Heat 93, Bucks 92

Photo by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images

Heat win in a nail-biter

In a game that featured very few of each team’s best players, fans were well entertained, with the Heat running away with a close one over the Bucks, 93-92. For Milwaukee, Tyler Smith finally broke out of his slump, notching 21 points (on 4/6 from three) and five rebounds. Miami was led by Vlad Goldin, who had 18 and 10 on the night. Bucks drop to 1-4 in Vegas.

NBA.com Box Score

Game Recap​

The Bucks got off to a hot start from three-point range, with Markquis Nowell starting 2/2, as well as triples from Tyler Smith and Malik Williams; they led 14-11 at the first timeout. Bogoljub Marković entered the game and made a few nice connections with the aforementioned Smith, who already looked the best he had in Vegas in this one. For the Heat, it was Erik Stevenson keeping them afloat with a game-high 11 points at the end of one. Heat up 29-24.

After not playing at all in Milwaukee’s prior games, Terrence Edwards Jr. showed some stuff early in this one, starting the second with an and-one layup in traffic. The lanky John Butler Jr. also got in on the act with a corner three and an immediate block down the other end, which was nice to see. For the most part, though, scoring dried up significantly for both teams; the game was tied at 37 with five minutes to go. The Bucks got down four after another Stevenson triple but battled back off the back of two nice finishes at the rim from Marković to force the Heat timeout late in the period. Game tied at 52 going into the locker rooms.

The Bucks had multiple defensive breakdowns to start the half, allowing the Heat to take a five-point lead. To make matters worse, Tyler Smith missed two golden opportunities at the rim; a lack of strength is the main thing holding Smith back at the moment. Cormac Ryan kept the Bucks in it as coach Jason Love ran him off various off-ball actions, with Wade Taylor IV nailing the triple to tie it up at 71 late in the third. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, Miami went on a 6-0 run to end the quarter, punctuated by a Dain Dainja hammer over Bogi. Heat up 79-73 after three.

Stanley Umude nailed a tough three to start the fourth, bringing the Bucks within three, but a silly foul in response by Nowell resulted in three FTs for the Heat. And finally, the heavens opened up for Tyler Smith, who hit consecutive contested threes to put the Bucks up two halfway through the final frame. Both teams went blow for blow for the next few minutes, with the Heat leading by two going into a timeout with 3:54 left. Following a foul and a subsequent technical from Miami, the Bucks found themselves up three with two minutes left. Vlad Goldin then made consecutive trips to the line to put the Heat up one with less than a minute remaining. However, Milwaukee’s Markquis Nowell nailed a high floater off the backboard after the shot clock ran down. Then, after a jump ball, John Butler Jr. got on the wrong side of Goldin and gave him a lane to the hoop, which he took and scored. David Joplin missed what would have been the game-winning three.

Stat That Stood Out​

The summer Bucks turned the ball over 17 times in this game. A few of those possessions would have been handy in a game they lost by one point.

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Source: https://www.brewhoop.com/2025/7/18/...e-recap-summer-league-tyler-smith-vlad-goldin

 

[Milwaukee Bucks]

How does Damian Lillard returning to Portland affect the Bucks’ cap sheet?

Photo by Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images

The set-off provision removes some dead money from Milwaukee’s books, but not much

As you might have heard, news came yesterday afternoon that erstwhile Bucks point guard Damian Lillard is returning to the Pacific Northwest on a three-year, $42m deal with the Trail Blazers, who will use their full mid-level exception to accommodate him. Of course, Milwaukee waived their two-time All-Star at the beginning of the month in order to create enough cap room to sign new center Myles Turner in free agency, consequently stretching the two years and $112.6m remaining on his contract over five seasons. That amounted to $22.5m in dead money on the Bucks’ cap sheet from now until the end of the 2029–30 season—not exactly ideal.

But, of course, Lillard was going to miss most of next season, so in a way, that was going to be tens of millions of dead cap anyway. In fact, reports after yesterday’s signing indicate that he’ll miss all of next season as he recovers from his torn Achilles sustained at the end of April in Game 4 of Milwaukee’s first-round series with Indiana. So Dame stands to make plenty of money next year to be back with the team that drafted him in the city that he calls home and loves—a pretty great outcome for him! But how much money? And how does that affect what the Bucks owe him?

Well, I’m a sicko who reads legal documents littered with gobs of confusing jargon for fun, and to figure it out, I consulted Article XXVII (that’s 27, in case you weren’t around for the Super Bowl in 1993) of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement so you don’t have to. You’re welcome. Let me try and paraphrase what it says about teams who waive-and-stretch a player, who then signs a contract with another team:

• The team has their yearly liability reduced if they employ their “right of set-off,” also known as the set-off provision.
• The former team’s new liability to their former player is calculated based on the salary of his new contract for each season he would have been under contract with his former team.
• The waived-and-stretched salary (for someone who isn’t a rookie) for the player’s former team is reduced by half the difference between his new salary in each of those seasons and the salary of a player with one year of service, spread out over the length of the stretch.
• The set-off begins after the regular season of the league year in which the player signed his new contract.

Clear as mud, right? Let’s apply this to Lillard’s specific situation. Regarding the first point, since Dame would have only been under contract with the Bucks until the 2026–27 season at the latest (had he exercised his player option for that year), we are only using his Blazers’ salary in years one and two of his new deal. While none of these numbers are official, let’s say that he is earning $13.3m this upcoming season and $14m the season following (the full MLE allows for a salary of up to $14.1m in year one with 5% annual raises). In that case, the order of operations is:

1. $13.3m - $2.0m (one-year player salary) divided in half: $5.6m
2. $14m – $2.2m (one-year player salary in 2026–27) divided in half: $5.9m
3. $5.6m + $5.9m = $11.5m

That $11.5m is then divided by five—the number of years the Bucks stretched Lillard for, and the result is deducted from the total the Bucks owed Lillard prior to his Blazers signing, spread out over the five years they will be paying him. So instead of owing $90.1m more if he hadn’t signed this contract, they owe him $80.8m instead. That amounts to a reduction of $2.3m per year, meaning the Bucks will have a cap hit of $20.2m for Lillard each season from 2026–30.

Milwaukee is also paying Vasilije Micić $680k per year in waived-and-stretched salary between now and summer 2028, meaning they will have $20.9m in dead cap for the following two seasons (through summer 2028), then $20.2m for the two seasons after that. Comparatively, prior to the Portland contract, that number would have been $23.2m for each season between now and summer 2028: a net savings of $4.6m for Milwaukee in that timespan and $9.2m overall.

If you’re curious, here is the estimated amount Dame himself will receive from Portland and Milwaukee combined in the years ahead, based on a three-year, $42m contract:

• 2025–26: $33,5m
• 2026–27: $34.2m
• 2027–28: $34.9m
• 2028–29: $20.2m
• 2029–30: $20.2m

That amounts to $143.0m between now and summer 2030. From his perspective, Lillard effectively turned a two-year, $112.6m contract into a three-year contract worth that amount: not quite another $42m on top of what he would have gotten if he never signed another NBA deal, but still a nice hunk of change. He’ll still get paid through 2030, and even if he were to sign another contract at one point, Milwaukee would still get their $2.3m break.

In the short term, this changes exactly nothing for the Bucks. They’re still paying Lillard the same amount this year, so no savings until next summer. From there, it could be the difference in some luxury tax payments or with regard to any eventual hard cap they face, but like this year, they may not be a taxpayer in 2026–27, since if they stay under the tax line for another season, they reset the clock on repeater penalties. But if they find themselves hard-capped at the first or second apron sometime in the future, they now have $2.3m more breathing room than previously.

Source: https://www.brewhoop.com/2025/7/18/...land-trail-blazers-dead-cap-set-off-provision