Mark Sears Signs Two-Way Deal With Bucks
July 3: Sears’ two-way contract with the Bucks is official, according to the team (Twitter link).
June 26: Consensus All-American guard Mark Sears, who went undrafted, has agreed to a two-way contract with the Bucks, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.
The 6’1” Sears started 37 games in each of the last three seasons for Alabama after transferring from Ohio University. He averaged a career-best 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists during the 2023/24 season, shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 43.6 percent from distance.
He averaged 18.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists last season but his shooting percentage plunged to 40.3 percent overall and 34.5 percent from three-point land. He was still a consensus first-team All-American and made the All-SEC first team.
Sears’ size (6’1”) worked against him in the draft but it’s not out of the question he could see some NBA action as a rookie, considering the Bucks will be down a starter at point guard due to Damian Lillard‘s Achilles tear.
Charania’s Latest: Durant, Celtics, Giannis
Kevin Durant will become eligible to sign an extension in July and there’s an expectation that he and the Rockets are going to explore that possibility once the trade sending him from Phoenix to Houston is official, ESPN’s Shams Charania said on Thursday’s episode of First Take (YouTube link).
“The goal right now for Kevin Durant and the Rockets is for him to retire in Houston,” Charania said. “They’re going to eventually, this offseason, discuss a contract extension and figure out where that lands.”
Durant, who will turn 37 in September, will make roughly $54.7MM during the final year of his current contract in 2025/26. Once he’s traded to Houston, he’ll be immediately eligible to sign a two-year extension worth up to about $122MM.
If he were to wait six months, he could get up to nearly $124MM on that two-year deal — the first-year max salary would be the same, but he could get an 8% raise for year two instead of 5%.
Given the minimal difference between those two hypothetical extensions, I’d expect the Rockets and Durant to try to get something done before the regular season begins rather than waiting until January.
Here are a couple more items of interest from Charania:
- Although they reportedly spoke to teams with lottery picks ahead of Wednesday’s first round, the Celtics were “not close” to trading Jaylen Brown, Charania said on ESPN’s First Take (YouTube link). Charania reiterated that Boston isn’t looking to move Brown or Derrick White and would only consider it if it an offer “blows them out of the water.” While Sam Hauser and Anfernee Simons are still trade candidates to monitor, Charania suggests that the brunt of the Celtics’ cost-cutting moves are already done, with Jrue Holiday headed to Portland and Kristaps Porzingis going to Atlanta.
- After reporting in mid-May that Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is “open-minded” about considering possible options for his future outside of Milwaukee, Charania said on ESPN’s Get Up on Thursday (YouTube link) that that’s still the case, even though the two-time MVP hasn’t requested a trade to this point. “He’s going to remain open-minded,” Charania said (hat tip to RealGM). “I don’t think his future is necessarily tied to this week, to free agency week. It’s going to be a process where you see how this team looks into July – well into July, potentially – and then ultimately he will see how the Bucks look and how the chess pieces look across the league and ultimately have some form of a resolution.”
Trade Rumors: Brown, White, Holiday, Hawks, NAW, Collins
After having agreed to trades that send out Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics have moved below the second tax apron. However, they may not be done dealing yet. Appearing on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Tuesday night (YouTube link), Shams Charania reported that Boston is fielding calls from teams with interest in Jaylen Brown and/or Derrick White.
According to Charania, the Celtics’ preference is still to hang onto Brown and White, and they’ve set “high price thresholds” for both players. But they’re also not entirely shutting down inquiries on those guys, so it remains possible that there will be a team willing to meet Boston’s high asking price.
“At minimum,” Charania says, the Celtics are still a strong candidate to make additional deals involving role players who are a little less valuable than Brown and White. Charania specifically identifies Sam Hauser and Anfernee Simons as players who might fit that bill.
Simons technically isn’t even a Celtic yet, so the agreed-upon deal involving him and Jrue Holiday could be expanded to include more pieces and send Simons to a third team before it’s officially finalized. Even if that trade is completed as currently constructed, Simons could be flipped to another team immediately — his salary simply couldn’t be aggregated with another player’s salary for two months after he’s traded.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- According to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (Twitter link), he has heard from two sources who refuted the report claiming that Holiday is unhappy about being traded to the Trail Blazers. We passed along that rumor on Tuesday, but suggested taking it with a grain of salt.
- As the Hawks continue to mull various scenarios for how they could use the $25MM+ traded player exception they generated in last summer’s Dejounte Murray deal, one possible target to watch is Nickeil Alexander-Walker, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). The Hawks are expected to show interest in Alexander-Walker, who will be a free agent this summer, and could potentially use that TPE to acquire him via sign-and-trade. The Timberwolves have expressed a desire to retain the three-and-D guard, but will also have Julius Randle‘s and Naz Reid‘s contract situations to resolve.
- Although John Collins is considered a potential offseason trade candidate, his market is still taking shape, so a deal seems more likely to happen after the draft than before or during it, per Stein and Fischer. Collins also must exercise his $26.6MM player option before he officially becomes trade-eligible. His decision is due on Thursday.
- Heat forward Andrew Wiggins, Raptors forward RJ Barrett and guard Immanuel Quickley, Jazz guards Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson, Wizards guard Marcus Smart, and Bucks wing Pat Connaughton are among the other players viewed as candidates to be on the move this summer, according to Stein and Fischer.
Trade Rumors: Giannis, K. Murray, Ellis, P. Williams, Heat
Superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn’t requested a trade and the Bucks are reportedly focused on improving their roster around him, but teams around the NBA continue to monitor the situation, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who said on First Take (YouTube link) that potential Antetokounmpo suitors are hoping he won’t be thrilled by the moves Milwaukee makes in the coming days and weeks.
“The Bucks have seven free agents. Seven. Three or four of which I would refer to as core players,” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM). “The Bucks do not have salary cap space. The Bucks do not control their first-round draft pick for the next five years. They can’t trade it — they can’t trade the pick or the swap. The Bucks are in situation where they cannot count on Dame Lillard for next year. Maybe he can come back, but they cannot count on it. The Bucks are not interested right now in trading Giannis Antetokounmpo. And Giannis, to our knowledge, to my belief, has not asked for a trade. Those are the facts.
“We are also before the draft. We are before free agency. Will the Bucks do some things over the next two, three weeks to put themselves in a position where they can look like they could win the Eastern Conference, with those limitations? Maybe.”
Windhorst’s ESPN colleague Stephen A. Smith interjected at that point to say that the Bucks’ odds of reemerging as an Eastern Conference favorite seem “highly unlikely.”
“Right, so that’s why the league is waiting,” Windhorst continued. “People want to know why aren’t the Knicks going all-in for Kevin Durant? Why aren’t the Heat going all-in for Kevin Durant? Because, in part – there’s other reasons, but in part -they want to see what happens here with the Bucks. And we’re going to be watching closely.”
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- Checking in on the Kings‘ roster situation and potential trade candidates ahead of the draft, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee reports that the team wants to add “length and athleticism” in its frontcourt and is hoping to add a power forward/center in order to slide Keegan Murray back to small forward. According to Anderson, Murray and Keon Ellis have been generating “strong” trade interest, but Sacramento isn’t enthusiastic about moving either player.
- The Bulls‘ front office has been “more responsive” to trade conversations this offseason than in the past, a source tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Cowley suggests that forward Patrick Williams is viewed as a prime candidate for Chicago, though the former No. 4 overall pick – who hasn’t taken a major step forward in recent years – still has four seasons and $72MM left on his current contract, which will make it difficult to move him for positive value without a sweetener attached.
- Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Shams Charania provided a little more information on what the Heat would’ve have had to give up to get Durant from the Suns, supplementing prior reporting from The Miami Herald. In order to keep Kel’el Ware out of a Durant deal, Miami likely would have had to put Jaime Jaquez, Nikola Jovic, Haywood Highsmith, the No. 20 overall pick, and a pick swap in its package, according to Charania. The Heat’s final offer reportedly fell well short of that.
Trade Rumors: Lakers, Bucks, Durant, Wolves
The Lakers‘ obvious need for a center is hurting their chances of finding one, according to Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints. Sources close to the team and around the league tell Irwin that the offseason pursuit of a big man has been frustrating so far because rival clubs are hoping to take advantage of L.A.’s predicament.
“The worst spot you can put yourself in is trying to negotiate while everyone knows about your desperation,” a former executive told Irwin. “The whole league knows that not only do the Lakers need a starting center and probably a backup, but they need to bring someone in who Luka (Doncic) is going to want to play with. They basically have to hope someone else reaches their current level of desperation so that the talks can be held on even footing.”
Jaxson Hayes, who’s headed toward free agency, took over as the starting center after Anthony Davis was traded to Dallas in February. He put up solid numbers during the regular season, but was ineffective in a first-round playoff loss to Minnesota and wasn’t used at all in the deciding Game 5.
Irwin hears from sources close to the team that the Lakers hope to trade for their starting center and use the $5.7MM taxpayer mid-level exception to sign a backup. According to Irwin’s sources, L.A. has been involved in discussions with the Nets about Nic Claxton, the Trail Blazers about Robert Williams and the Jazz about Walker Kessler. He adds that potential free agent targets include Brook Lopez and Clint Capela.
Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:
- The Bucks remain confident about keeping Giannis Antetokounmpo and will focus on trades and free agent signings to complement the two-time MVP, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN. The Khris Middleton trade in February moved Milwaukee below the projected tax line for 2025/26, creating access to the $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception. The Bucks also have the $5.1MM bi-annual exception, though ESPN’s story points out that it will be difficult financially to use both exceptions while re-signing Lopez and Bobby Portis.
- The Suns are finding it hard to get value for Kevin Durant because there isn’t an “open market,” explains Brian Windhorst of ESPN (YouTube link). Durant has manipulated the market by insisting that he’ll only sign an extension with Houston, San Antonio or Miami, and Windhorst says that advantage has given those teams leverage to limit their offers. He also points out that Durant is Phoenix’s only major trade asset due to its insistence on keeping Devin Booker, so it’s important to maximize the return.
- The Timberwolves seem more likely to keep the 31st pick in the draft than the 17th, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. The first-round pick, which was acquired from New York last fall, comes with a $4.2MM salary, which could hamper the effort to re-sign Naz Reid, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and possibly Julius Randle while staying below the second apron. Hine hears that the Wolves’ front office likes having the first pick in the second round and expects to get a lot of offers between the first and second days of the draft.
Bucks’ Pat Connaughton Opts In For 2025/26
Bucks guard/forward Pat Connaughton has picked up his 2025/26 player option, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The move locks in Connaughton’s salary of $9,423,869 for next season and puts him on track to reach unrestricted free agency in 2026.
Connaughton’s option decision comes as no surprise. He played a key role on Milwaukee’s championship team in 2020/21 and had a career year in ’21/22, when he averaged 9.9 points per game on .458/.395/.833 shooting, but his playing time and his production have dropped off significantly since then.
This past season, the 32-year-old wing averaged just 5.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 14.7 minutes per game across 41 outings. His 32.1% three-point percentage was his worst mark since his rookie year in 2015/16.
Since Connaughton wasn’t going to receive a starting salary of $9.4MM if he had become a free agent, it makes sense for him to take the guaranteed money by exercising his option.
Now, the decision on Connaughton’s future is back in the Bucks’ hands. He’ll likely be a trade candidate on that $9.4MM expiring contract as Milwaukee looks to reshape its roster and remain in the playoff picture while Damian Lillard recovers from an Achilles tear. Given his drop-off in minutes and effectiveness, Connaughton won’t have any trade value on his own, but his deal could be used for salary-matching purposes.
As our player option tracker shows, Connaughton is one of three Bucks players with an option decision to make this month. Bobby Portis ($13.45MM) and Kevin Porter Jr. ($2.55MM) are viewed as good bets to opt out in search of more lucrative multiyear deals.
Central Notes: Williams, Cavs, Pistons, Giannis, Bucks, Cavs
The Cavaliers have hired Jawad Williams as an assistant coach on Kenny Atkinson‘s staff, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Cleveland’s interest in Williams was reported earlier this week.
Williams has been an assistant and director of player development with the Kings for two seasons. The Cavaliers need to retool their staff after the departures of Bryan Tibaldi (Providence College), DeMarre Carroll (Suns), Chris Darnell (Kings) and Jordan Ott — the Suns’ new head coach.
We have more from the Central Division:
- The Pistons‘ biggest need appears to be a stretch four. Should they pursue Naz Reid or Bobby Portis if they become free agents, as expected? It’s a tricky call, says Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. They could offer the $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception, but that may not be enough to attract either player’s attention. The only way the Pistons could offer more would be to renounce their rights to key free agents like Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Dennis Schröder.
- ESPN’s NBA Insiders take a hard look at the Bucks‘ dilemma regarding Giannis Antetokounmpo. They explore three trade packages that could help the Bucks continue to build around their superstar. The ESPN crew also explores five potential packages they could receive from suitors such as the Rockets, Raptors, Pistons, Warriors and Spurs if Giannis asks out.
- The Bucks don’t have a first-round selection in next week’s draft. The Athletic’s Eric Nehm takes a look at some of the players they target with the second-rounder they possess (No. 47 overall).
- Within his Cavaliers offseason preview, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith says he believes they should be willing to pay a big tax bill and run it back with the same core group, while listening to offers for Jarrett Allen. He notes that Cleveland is good enough to make a deeper playoff run next season with better health luck.
Central Notes: Pistons Approach, Pistons Draft, Portis, Buzelis
The Magic traded major assets to acquire Desmond Bane. Should the Pistons make a similar move at this stage?
According to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press (subscription required), Detroit may be more patient because of its financial situation. As Sankofa points out, Orlando has already signed multiple players to big extensions, which will lead to a large payroll beginning next season. Other than Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart, the Pistons’ front office has yet to give out lucrative extensions to its young players. That buys them more time to lean on player development, rather than taking a big swing on the trade market.
Here’s more on the Central Division:
- On a smaller scale, the Pistons could look to make a trade if they wish to move into the first round. Their first-round pick was sent to Minnesota but, as Sankofa points out, there are a few teams with multiple first-rounders who may be looking to move one or more of those picks. Detroit has 14 future second-rounders at its disposal to dangle in order to move into the first round. The Nets, Thunder and Magic are among the teams with late first-rounders that could be available.
- Don’t expect Bobby Portis to give the Bucks a discount in free agency. “Obviously, I would love to be back in Milwaukee,” he said on the Run It Back podcast. “I’m not saying I don’t want to come back to the Bucks—I would love to—but I just want to be compensated fairly, man. I’ve taken a lot of team-friendly deals to be here. We’re at a point now where I feel like it’s time I get compensated—fairly—to my peers. That’s all I ask for.” Portis holds a $13.4MM option on his contract for next season but his comments strongly indicate he’ll opt out. Portis was suspended 25 games by the league this season for using a banned drug, but was effective when he played, with averages of 13.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
- Matas Buzelis met up in Los Angeles with a few of his Bulls teammates earlier this month for workouts and scrimmages. Buzelis has added muscle and looks ready to become a dominant player, according to guard Ayo Dosunmu. “Matas is a hard worker, a tremendous worker,” Dosunmu told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times. “He loves the work. I have high praises for him, high expectations for him. I’m seeing him in person, him getting stronger. He’s starting to realize how strong he is and how he’s able to dominate. I know Giannis is a Hall of Famer, top 20, top 30 player [all time], but Matas has a chance to really dominate the game like that because he’s 6-10, 6-11, and as he continues to get stronger, continues to get in the weight room, he’s only going to get bigger.”
2025 NBA Offseason Preview: Milwaukee Bucks
After winning their first championship in 50 years in 2021, the Bucks had a strong showing in the 2022 playoffs, but their attempt at a title defense was foiled in the second round against Boston. Khris Middleton was sidelined for that entire series due to an injury, which turned out to be a harbinger of the team's postseason health issues to come.
Milwaukee went 58-24 and claimed the top seed in the Eastern Conference ahead of the 2023 playoffs. In the team's first-round matchup with No. 8 Miami, superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo sustained a back injury early in Game 1, causing him miss the rest of that contest as well as the following two games. Antetokounmpo returned for Games 4 and 5, but he looked uncomfortable and was clearly not fully healthy. The Bucks were eliminated in five games, while the Heat made a surprising run to the NBA Finals.
To that point, Milwaukee’s front office had largely stuck with the same core roster and coaching staff that won the title two years prior. But the disappointing early exit, which saw the Bucks blow multiple leads late in games, led to major changes in the 2023 offseason, including firing head coach Mike Budenholzer and trading away their starting backcourt (Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen) and multiple draft assets to acquire Damian Lillard, Portland's all-time leading scorer.
Lillard's first season in Milwaukee was rocky, both in terms of his individual performance and the goings-on of the team. The Bucks fired their new coach -- Adrian Griffin -- despite a 30-13 start, then went 2-1 under interim coach Joe Prunty, but only had a 17-19 record with Doc Rivers -- Griffin's replacement -- at the helm.
Entering the 2024 playoffs, the Bucks had homecourt advantage in their first-round series vs. Indiana, but Antetokounmpo didn't play at all due to a calf injury, and Lillard missed a couple games as well due to a sore Achilles. They wound up being eliminated in six games by the upstart Pacers.
Milwaukee got off to a rough start in '24/25, going 2-8 in its first 10 games. But the Bucks steadied the ship to an extent over the course of the season, and finished with a nearly identical record as the season prior (48-34 vs. 49-33), setting up a first-round rematch with Indiana.
Unfortunately, Lillard was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right calf in late March. He made a very quick recovery, suiting up for Games 2 and 3 and playing surprisingly extended minutes considering the lengthy layoff. He didn't look anything close to his usual self though, and disaster struck in Game 4, when the seven-time All-NBA guard suffered a torn left Achilles tendon.
Despite a stellar showing from Antetokounmpo, the Bucks were eliminated in the first round for the third straight time, this time in five games.
Lillard is on a maximum-salary contract which is projected to pay him about $54.1MM in '25/26, with a $59.5MM player option for '26/27. He turns 35 years old next month and will likely miss all of next season.
The severity of Lillard's injury and Milwaukee's third consecutive first-round exit have led to rampant speculation about Antetokounmpo's future. While there has been no indication to this point that he'll end up requesting a trade, it also can't be ruled out in the coming months.
The Bucks' Offseason Plan
The Bucks are in a difficult bind this offseason. They have one of the greatest players in NBA history in the middle of his prime, a franchise icon who has finished no worse than fourth in MVP voting in each of the past seven seasons and doesn't turn 31 until December. Even without Lillard, Milwaukee should still be a playoff team in '25/26 as long as Antetokounmpo is healthy.
Bucks Rumors: Giannis, Tax, Lopez, Portis, Point Guards
After stating during multiple television appearances this week that a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade appears unlikely to happen in the short term, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reiterated that point on Friday in a an ESPN.com story co-authored by Tim Bontemps.
At the moment, Windhorst and Bontemps say, the expectation around the NBA is that Antetokounmpo will still be in Milwaukee by the time the 2025/26 season tips off.
However, the ESPN duo stresses that’s just where things stand as of today. It doesn’t necessarily mean the situation won’t change at some point this offseason, since there’s no indication Antetokounmpo has definitively told the Bucks that he’s staying. It remains possible he could request a change of scenery later in the summer if he decides he’s not thrilled with the team’s direction.
For now though, the Bucks aren’t listening to trade inquiries on Antetokounmpo and aren’t expected to make any deal involving the two-time MVP in the short term.
Here’s more on the Bucks from Windhorst and Bontemps:
- In meetings since the Bucks’ season ended, general manager Jon Horst and head coach Doc Rivers have presented plans to keep the core of the roster intact around Antetokounmpo, per ESPN. Milwaukee went 10-4 without Damian Lillard in March and April and is optimistic about its ability to contend for a top-six playoff spot until he’s ready to return, which the club hopes will happen before the end of the 2025/26 season, as Windhorst and Bontemps explain.
- Personnel around the NBA are curious about the Bucks’ appetite to be a taxpayer in ’25/26 after paying substantial penalties in recent years, according to Windhorst and Bontemps, who hear from sources that the team is indeed prepared to operate above the tax line again. It would be difficult for the Bucks to retain free agent big men Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis without surpassing that threshold, ESPN’s duo notes.
- While Milwaukee may be a taxpayer again next season, rival teams think the Bucks will look to operate below the first tax apron, giving them access to at least part of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. The team may need that MLE to sign a free agent point guard to step in for Lillard. According to Windhorst and Bontemps, Dennis Schröder, Tyus Jones, and Malcolm Brogdon are a few names to watch.