Ryan Rollins Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Ryan Rollins Returns To Bucks On Three-Year Deal

July 6th, 2025 at 9:24pm CST by Luke Adams

July 8: The Bucks’ deal with Rollins is now official, per a press release.

July 6: Free agent guard Ryan Rollins is returning to the Bucks, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), who reports that the two sides have agreed to a three-year deal worth $12MM. The agreement will include a third-year player option, Charania adds.

The 44th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Rollins had only appeared in 25 NBA regular season games across two seasons with Golden State, Washington, and Milwaukee entering the 2024/25 season. However, after opening the year on a two-way contract with the Bucks, he emerged as a reliable part of the rotation and earned a promotion to the standard roster in March.

In 56 games (19 starts) last season for Milwaukee, Rollins averaged 6.2 points, 1.9 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game, along with a shooting line of .487/.408/.800. He played significant minutes during the season’s final weeks while Damian Lillard was sidelined due to a blood clot in his calf.

Milwaukee initially tendered Rollins a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent before withdrawing it early in the week, making him unrestricted. Even after rescinding that QO, the Bucks were able to hang onto the 23-year-old’s Early Bird rights, which will allow them to go over the cap to re-sign him after they use up all their room.

While the 2025/26 Bucks will be without Lillard – who tore his Achilles in April and is being waived to create cap room to sign Myles Turner – they’ve now struck deals to bring back both of their free agent point guards, Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr.

Rollins is the sixth of the Bucks’ own free agents that has reached an agreement to re-sign with the club, joining Porter, Bobby Portis, Taurean Prince, Gary Trent Jr., and Jericho Sims.

Scotto’s Latest: Rollins, Hornets, Bucks, Ayton, Valanciunas

July 4th, 2025 at 1:35pm CST by Luke Adams

After having his qualifying offer withdrawn by the Bucks earlier this week, free agent guard Ryan Rollins is drawing interest from a handful of teams around the NBA, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who says the Suns, Trail Blazers, Spurs, and Lakers are among the clubs with Rollins on their radar.

A reunion with Milwaukee also hasn’t been ruled out either, Scotto reports. Even after rescinding his qualifying offer and making him an unrestricted free agent, the Bucks are in position to hang onto Rollins’ Early Bird rights, which would allow them to go over the cap to re-sign him after they use up all their room.

Portland still has its $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception available, while San Antonio and Los Angeles have the $5.1MM bi-annual exception on hand, Scotto writes. However, the Suns could only offer more than a minimum-salary deal if they shed salary — perhaps via a Bradley Beal buyout agreement.

Rollins had a modest breakout year this past season, registering averages of 6.2 points, 1.9 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game, along with a shooting line of .487/.408/.800. He had only made 25 appearances across two NBA seasons prior to 2024/25.

Here’s more from Scotto:

Examining the Hornets‘ roster crunch, Scotto identifies Josh Okogie and DaQuan Jeffries – who are on non-guaranteed contracts – as candidates to be waived if no trade opportunities involving them arise. Executives who spoke to HoopsHype also view former first-round pick Nick Smith Jr. as a player who could be traded. That applies to veterans on expiring contracts like Pat Connaughton and Collin Sexton as well.
Before he agreed to re-sign with the Hornets, point guard Tre Mann received interest from the Bucks, Scotto reports. Milwaukee is in the market for additional point guard depth after losing Damian Lillard to an Achilles tear and subsequently planning to waive him.
Echoing reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania, Scotto says that teams who reached out to Trail Blazers officials for feedback on Deandre Ayton got positive reviews on the big man, who was a “community staple in Portland and hosted many team bonding events.” Reporting from The Athletic had suggested that Ayton’s attitude and bad habits played a part in the decision to part ways with him.
Addressing the Jonas Valanciunas situation, Scotto notes that the Nuggets have tried to acquire the veteran center for the past couple years and have envisioned him playing a significant role if he reports to Denver, giving superstar Nikola Jokic more opportunities to rest. Amid rumors that Valanciunas is traveling to Greece and hopes to sign with the EuroLeague club Panathinaikos, Scotto hears that the 33-year-old is expected to address the situation soon.

FA Rumors: Rollins, Kings, Westbrook, Robinson, Pistons, Lakers, Horford

July 1st, 2025 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks are rescinding their qualifying offer to free agent guard Ryan Rollins, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link). Rollins opened the new league year as a restricted free agent, but this decision will make him unrestricted.

The move is probably more about maximizing the Bucks’ cap room than an indication the team no longer has no interest in retaining Rollins. Milwaukee is making a series of moves in order to open up the space necessary to sign Myles Turner to a four-year, $107MM contract.

Still, it means that the Bucks will no longer have the right of first refusal on Rollins, so he could sign outright with a new team without Milwaukee having a chance to match.

Rollins had a bit of a breakout season in 2024/25, registering averages of 6.2 points, 1.9 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game, along with a shooting line of .487/.408/.800. He had only made 25 appearances across two NBA seasons prior to ’24/25.

We have several more items of interest relating to free agency:

After reportedly discussing a deal with the Pistons, the Kings won’t be sending out Malik Monk as part of their Dennis Schröder addition, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter links). Schröder could still be acquired via sign-and-trade, since Sacramento has a trade exception large enough to accommodate his three-year, $45MM deal, but it sounds like he may end up just going into the team’s non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
With Monk staying in Sacramento, the Kings are less likely to sign free agent point guard Russell Westbrook, Stein adds (via Twitter).
After opting out of his contract on Sunday, free agent forward Duncan Robinson appears unlikely to return to the Heat, multiple league sources tell Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami is exploring sign-and-trade opportunities and the Pistons are among the interested teams, an Eastern Conference source tells the authors. Robinson is the franchise leader for most made three-pointers, but his playing time declined this season and the Heat may consider it too costly to bring him back. A contract agreement with Davion Mitchell gives Miami $173.8MM committed to 14 players for next season, about $14MM away from the luxury tax. Chiang and Jackson suggest the team might re-sign free agent Alec Burks to fill Robinson’s role as a three-point specialist.
Signing Deandre Ayton once he clears waivers remains a possibility, but the Lakers are also exploring other options in free agency and trades, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link). Sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link) that Al Horford is getting “serious consideration” from both the Lakers and Warriors.

Arthur Hill contributed to this story.

Free Agent Notes: Rollins, CP3, Aldama, Grimes, Wolves, E. Miller

June 29th, 2025 at 1:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have tendered a qualifying offer to guard Ryan Rollins, making him a restricted free agent, a league source tells Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link).

After starting the 2024/25 season on a two-way contract in Milwaukee, Rollins was promoted to a rest-of-season standard deal in March. He played a regular role in the backcourt, especially when Damian Lillard missed time for health reasons, and had a solid season, with averages of 6.2 points, 1.9 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game, along with a shooting line of .487/.408/.800.

His qualifying offer is worth a projected $2.58MM and will give the Bucks the right of first refusal in the event that he signs an offer sheet with a rival team.

Here are a few more free agency notes and rumors from around the NBA:

Echoing other recent reporting, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link) says the belief around the NBA is that veteran point guard Chris Paul will play at least one more season and wants to do so in Los Angeles to be close to his family. It’s unclear whether that means the Clippers and Lakers will be the only options he considers or whether other West Coast teams might be in play.
Zach Lowe of The Ringer (YouTube link; hat tip to RealGM) says he has heard that Grizzlies restricted free agent Santi Aldama will have “full mid-level deals waiting for him” when he hits the market. Memphis would have the ability to match any offer sheet Aldama signs or could simply directly negotiate a new deal with him.
Within a story that examines the challenges the Sixers will face as they try to retain both Quentin Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele in free agency, Tony Jones of The Athletic cites sources who say Grimes is hoping to sign a contract that averages $25MM annually. An earlier report indicated the restricted free agent guard is expected to land a starting salary worth at least $16MM.
The Timberwolves, who are expected to lose Nickeil Alexander-Walker in free agency, would like to add another ball-handler if they can, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Minnesota likely won’t be able to offer outside free agents more than the veteran’s minimum due to the team’s position relative to the second tax apron.
The Bulls have issued a two-way qualifying offer to forward Emanuel Miller, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The move makes Miller a restricted free agent after he had a solid 2024/25 season in the G League with the Texas Legends and Windy City Bulls.

Eastern Notes: Bucks, Lillard, Pritchard, Holiday, Beasley

April 23rd, 2025 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

After seeing his starters get thoroughly outplayed in the first two games of their first-round series vs. Indiana, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers is considering the idea of tweaking the lineup for Game 3, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Whether it’s the personnel or the approach, something has to change on Friday, Rivers acknowledged.

“We’ve gotten off to two poor starts, and we’ve got to make an adjustment there, for sure,” the Bucks said following Tuesday’s Game 2 loss. “We’ll just see. We have time. We have 48 hours. I’m not gonna tell you what I’m doing right now because I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out, I’m very confident about this series. Very.”

The Bucks started Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez, Kyle Kuzma, and Taurean Prince alongside Ryan Rollins in Game 1, with Damian Lillard replacing Rollins in Game 2. Those two units were the most frequently used Milwaukee lineups after the All-Star break, but they haven’t been effective so far in the playoffs — the starters were outscored by 15 points in about 17 minutes in Game 1 and by nine points in 16 minutes in Game 2.

“We don’t want to put ourselves in a hole early in the game,” Antetokounmpo said. “I think we’ve done it in two games. We also did it in the third quarter. It’s hard to play from behind. We just gotta be smarter the way we play, be more urgent when we start the game; hopefully we can be the one to set the tone and not them.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

In his first game back after being sidelined for over a month due to a blood clot, Lillard played 37 minutes on Tuesday and said he “felt pretty good,” though he acknowledged he still needs to work a little more on his cardio, per Michael Marot of The Associated Press. “I got a little winded, but I think everyone got a little winded,” said Lillard, who had 14 points and seven assists in the Bucks‘ Game 2 loss. “I wasn’t really thinking about if I was tired, it was just like I’m out here and I’ve got to do what I got to do.”
Celtics guard and newly minted Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard made a compelling case for an increased role by scoring 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting in 25 minutes of action in Sunday’s Game 1 win, writes Brian Robb of MassLive.com. Pritchard is a strong candidate to get a minutes bump in Game 2 on Wednesday with Jayson Tatum considered doubtful to play.
Whether or not Tatum is available, the Celtics would like to see more of the Jrue Holiday they got in Game 1, according to Jay King of The Athletic. Holiday took another step back on offense this season, posting his lowest scoring average (11.1 PPG) since his rookie year in 2009/10, but he has found many other ways to contribute. On Sunday, he made a trio of three-pointers and racked up three steals, prompting teammate Al Horford to tell reporters that Holiday “changed the game” with the energy he brought in the third quarter. “That’s the Jrue I love, you know what I mean?” Jaylen Brown added. “That’s the Jrue I remember competing against.”
Pistons wing Malik Beasley has been sued by Daniel Hazan, his former agent, tweets Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. The lawsuit alleges that Hazan’s agency paid Beasley a $650K advance on future marketing revenue and that the veteran swingman breached their agreement by signing with a new agency in February, Vorkunov explains, adding that Hazan is seeking $1MM.

Injury/Health Notes: Lillard, Tatum, Jokic, Sheppard

March 26th, 2025 at 7:55am CST by Luke Adams

After initially being listed as out last week due to calf soreness, Damian Lillard was experiencing discomfort and pain inconsistent with a typical calf strain, according to Eric Nehm and Sam Amick of The Athletic, who hear from a source that the Bucks guard sought clarity on the cause.

That prompted a “rigorous discovery process” that ultimately involved Lillard meeting with five of the country’s top hematologists, either in person or via Zoom, with each of those specialists receiving his MRIs and sonograms. Lillard, who was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his calf, began taking blood thinners last Friday, per The Athletic’s source, and the early indications are that the treatment is working well.

In a separate story for The Athletic, Nehm explores how the Bucks will get by without Lillard, noting that leaning on defense is probably their best path forward. That effort begins with having a strong perimeter defender like Ryan Rollins starting in place of Lillard.

“Obviously, nobody is going to be Dame but Dame,” Bucks center Brook Lopez said earlier this week. “But (Rollins) has done a great job coming in, being himself and finding a niche, that like Dame, only he can do. It’s specifically Ryan. He comes out there and he makes a difference in his way. He gets into guys, defends them full-court, picks up 94 feet.”

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

The Celtics‘ injury report for Wednesday’s game in Phoenix is another sign that Jayson Tatum‘s ankle injury isn’t significant. Tatum isn’t expected to play vs. the Suns, but he hasn’t officially been ruled out yet — he’s listed as doubtful (Twitter link).
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who has missed the team’s past five games, has been upgraded to doubtful for Wednesday’s matchup with Milwaukee (Twitter link via DNVR Sports). Jokic’s initial injury report designation last week indicated he was dealing with both a right elbow contusion and a left ankle impingement, but only the ankle issue is still listed, which suggests the elbow is no longer a problem.
Rockets rookie Reed Sheppard, out since March 6 with a fracture in his right thumb, had a scan on Sunday that showed good calcification around the fractured bone, according to head coach Ime Udoka, who said on Tuesday that Sheppard would be reevaluated in four or five days. Sheppard is still wearing a splint on the thumb part-time, but he takes it off when he works out, per Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

Damian Lillard Has Blood Clot In Calf, Out Indefinitely

March 25th, 2025 at 8:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

8:05pm: A league source tells The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Eric Nehm that there is “a great deal of optimism” that Lillard will return this season.

7:48pm: Bucks star guard Damian Lillard has been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf and is out indefinitely, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.

Lillard is on blood-thinning medication, which has stabilized the blood clot, and will continue with regular testing.

Speaking with NBA Insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), Lillard said, “It’s unfortunate that something outside of my control would come up. Along with the Bucks’ medical staff, our priorities are to protect my health and safety. As much as I love basketball, I need to be there for my kids and my family. I’m grateful the Bucks acted quickly on this. They’ve been supportive and proactive throughout this process. I look forward to moving past this and continuing my career.”

According to Bucks general manager Jon Horst, Lillard is unlikely to experience a reoccurrence of this blood-clotting issue once he recovers, Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype tweets.

“Damian’s health is our No. 1 priority,” Horst said. “We will support him as he moves through this weekly process of strict criteria to ensure that it is safe for him to return to play. Doctors have indicated that his situation is very unlikely to occur again. We are thankful that this was identified and medicated quickly, which helps with the recovery.”

If Lillard can’t return this season, it will be a massive blow to the Bucks’ postseason hopes. They’re currently battling Indiana and Detroit for the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference.

Lillard is averaging 24.9 points, 7.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds per night in 58 games this season. He’ll now be ineligible for any NBA postseason honors. His last appearance was a 16-point outing against Golden State a week ago.

Lillard’s absence will put even more pressure on Giannis Antetokounmpo to put up monster numbers. Ryan Rollins has been starting in Lillard’s place and will likely continue to do so, with Kevin Porter Jr. taking on extra minutes in the second unit and Andre Jackson Jr. also moving up the depth chart.

Central Notes: Mitchell, Slumping Cavs, Cunningham, Lillard

March 22nd, 2025 at 10:06am CST by Earnest Marshall

Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell is owning responsibility for Cleveland’s current losing streak, which extended to four games on Friday in Phoenix, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes (subscription required).

“Put this on me,” Mitchell said. “When your leader ain’t doing [expletive], this is what happens. If I’m not being who I need to be then we’re not going to get to where we want to get to. So, until that happens — and it will — yeah, if you’re looking for where to point, it’s right here.”

Since the beginning of March, Mitchell is shooting 32.9% from the field and 17.9% on three-pointers, compared to 44.1% and 37.0% on the season, Fedor adds. In their four straight losses, he’s down to 18.5 PPG on 29.6% shooting.

“I’ve been like this for the past four games, and we’ve lost four straight,” Mitchell said. “I have to be better. Simple as that. We have to guard better. We have to rebound. [Expletive] all that. It’s on me. I have to be better for the group. I’ve been good for the group all year. But this is on me. There really is nowhere else to look. I will be better.“

We have more from the Central Division:

The Cavaliers‘ Friday loss represents their lowest point of the season, Fedor writes in another story (subscription required). Cleveland has given up at least 120 points three times in its last four losses and ranks in the bottom half of the league defensively this month. Meanwhile, the scorching-hot offense that overshadowed any defensive shortcomings earlier in the year has faltered as of late. Of course, the Cavaliers still hold a five-game lead over the second-place Celtics in the East, but they’ll want to right the ship in the coming weeks to regain some momentum entering the postseason.
Wednesday’s performance against the Heat was the pinnacle of Pistons star Cade Cunningham‘s young career, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic opines. Cunningham recorded team highs in points (25), rebounds (12) and assists (11) as he notched a triple-double and knocked down his first career game-winning three-pointer. The former No. 1 overall pick felt the game was a culmination of everything he has been through, including the 28 straight losses the Pistons endured last season and the injury that limited him to 12 games in his sophomore season. “It’s still early though, I feel like,” Cunningham said. “I still feel like there’s so much to do. There’s still so much that I haven’t experienced.“
Bucks star Damian Lillard missed Thursday’s game against the Lakers due to calf soreness, per NBA insider Chris Haynes, and he’ll also miss Saturday’s tilt in Sacramento, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter links). It’s the first time since late December that Lillard had to miss consecutive games. He’s averaging 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game in his age-34 season. Guard Ryan Rollins drew the start on Thursday in Lillard’s absence.

Contract Details: Two-Ways, Springer, Champagnie, Miller, Spencer, More

March 7th, 2025 at 4:27pm CST by Luke Adams

A flurry of two-way signings occurred prior to Tuesday’s deadline and many of those players who received two-way contracts in the week leading up to March 4 agreed to two-year deals.

Hoops Rumors has confirmed that Patrick Baldwin and Seth Lundy of the Clippers, Pete Nance and Jamaree Bouyea of the Bucks, Lester Quinones of the Pelicans, David Roddy of the Rockets, Miles Norris of the Celtics, and Jared Rhoden of the Raptors all signed two-year, two-way contracts.

As our tracker shows, that means that 25 of the 90 players signed to two-way contracts have deals that will carry over to the 2025/26 league year. It’s common for many of the players on two-year, two-way pacts to be waived during the offseason if teams decide there’s an undrafted rookie or Summer League standout they’d rather add, but those two-year terms give clubs the option of retaining their two-way players for another year.

Here are a few more details on recently signed contracts around the league:

The Jazz used $634,437 of their room exception to sign guard Jaden Springer, who got a three-year contract that includes a non-guaranteed salary for 2025/26 and a team option for ’26/27. Springer will receive a $400K partial guarantee on next season’s salary if he remains under contract through July 25. That partial guarantee will increase to $600K if he makes the opening night roster in the fall.
Teams that used a portion of their mid-level exceptions to promote two-way players to multiyear standard deals include the Wizards with Justin Champagnie ($1,800,000), the Clippers with Jordan Miller ($1,005,000), and the Rockets with Jeenathan Williams ($515,881). All three players got four-year contracts that don’t include guaranteed money beyond this season, though Miller’s deal includes some trigger dates — he’ll get a partial guarantee of $350K for 2025/26 if he’s still under contract beyond July 15 and half of his $2,191,897 salary will become guaranteed if he isn’t waived before the start of the ’25/26 regular season.
Pat Spencer of the Warriors, Orlando Robinson of the Raptors, and Ryan Rollins of the Bucks all received straight conversions of their two-way contracts to standard deals, so they’ll each still be eligible for restricted free agency this offseason.
Dominick Barlow‘s new two-year contract with the Hawks is a minimum-salary deal that includes a team option for 2025/26.

Bucks Promote Ryan Rollins, Sign Jamaree Bouyea To Two-Way

March 4th, 2025 at 8:09pm CST by Luke Adams

March 4: Both roster moves are now official, the Bucks announced in a pair of press releases.

March 3: The Bucks are poised to make a pair of roster moves, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links), who reports that two-way guard Ryan Rollins will be promoted to the standard roster, with guard Jamaree Bouyea getting a two-way contract from the club.

Charania, citing agents Mike Silverman and Brandon Grier, says Rollins is getting a rest-of-season contract from the Bucks, which suggests it’ll be a straight conversion rather than a new multiyear agreement. Assuming that’s the case, Rollins would be eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end.

The No. 44 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Rollins didn’t see much action for Golden State or Washington in his first two NBA seasons, but has emerged as a rotation player for the Bucks in his third year, averaging 4.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 12.5 minutes per night across 39 games (eight starts).

Players on two-way contracts aren’t eligible to be active for more than 50 NBA regular season games in a season and Rollins reached that 50-game limit last Thursday. Once his promotion is official, he’ll once again be able to suit up for the Bucks and will also be eligible to participate in the postseason.

Bouyea, a former San Francisco standout, has bounced around the NBA and G League since going undrafted in 2022, playing for the Heat, Wizards, Trail Blazers, and Spurs at the NBA level, as well as the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Rip City Remix, and Austin Spurs in the NBAGL.

In 28 games this season for San Antonio’s G League affiliate, the 25-year-old has averaged 18.9 points, 4.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per contest, with a shooting line of .501/.343/.816.

No corresponding roster moves will be necessary for the Bucks, who already have an open spot on their 15-man roster. Bouyea, of course, will take the two-way slot vacated by Rollins.

Milwaukee will have 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals once the transactions are complete, but could technically carry one more player on the standard roster until Bobby Portis‘ 25-game suspension is over — players serving suspensions longer than five games can be moved to the suspended list and don’t count against a team’s roster limit until they’re reactivated.