Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers during the second half of Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden on Monday in Boston, MA. (Photo by Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images) May 1, 2023
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I don’t blame you if you barely recognize the Milwaukee Bucks these days. Outside of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis, the roster looks almost nothing like the group that lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2021.
In just four years, the core that helped bring Milwaukee its first championship in 50 seasons has almost completely vanished.
Hopefully, Antetokounmpo spends his entire career as a Buck. That remains the dream in Milwaukee, even as national media outlets continue to speculate about him bolting for a bigger market. Those rumors picked up steam again this summer, but, like every time before, they turned out to be unfounded. Antetokounmpo has remained steadfast in his commitment, and the Bucks continue to build around him.
Portis is the team’s emotional heartbeat and a fan favorite. This offseason, he signed his fourth contract with the franchise—a three-year, $43.6 million deal that includes a player option in the third season.
After those two, though, the continuity thins out quickly.
The next longest-tenured Buck is AJ Green, an undrafted free agent from 2022 who is now entering his fourth season. That fact alone highlights how much change Milwaukee has undergone. Thanasis Antetokounmpo technically has more years with the team, but after sitting out the entire 2024–25 season with an injury, he remains more of a ceremonial presence than a key piece.
Unfortunately, the story of the last couple of years has been defined more by departures. When training camp opens next week, six players on the projected 15-man roster will be attending their very first Bucks camp, while four more will be entering only their second.
For a team that once prided itself on cohesion, this much roster churn is striking.
The shift becomes even clearer when you look back just two years. At this time in 2023, Milwaukee’s roster still included Jrue Holiday, Jae Crowder, Robin Lopez, and Cameron Payne—veterans who brought experience and, in Holiday’s case, championship poise.
Fast forward to last fall, and the Bucks had Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and Pat Connaughton. That group still carried a sense of familiarity, with a mix of their title core and star power.
Now, heading into the 2025–26 season, the roster features Kevin Porter Jr., Cole Anthony, Kyle Kuzma, Myles Turner, and Gary Harris. Some of those players bring intrigue, but it’s undeniable that the Bucks are trending away from the stability that once defined them.
This is a far cry from the days when Holiday, Middleton, and Giannis orchestrated deep playoff runs with reliability and balance. Today, the Bucks must figure out how to generate consistent offense from someone not named Antetokounmpo.
The turnover isn’t just happening on the player level either.
Coaching changes have been almost as disruptive. Milwaukee dismissed Mike Budenholzer after the disappointing 2022–23 season, moving on from the coach who had delivered their long-awaited championship.
His replacement, first-time head coach Adrian Griffin, lasted less than a year despite a strong 30–13 start, as internal concerns about leadership and locker room control led to his abrupt firing.
The Bucks then turned to Doc Rivers, making him their third head coach in under 12 months. Rivers steadied the ship but didn’t exactly light the world on fire. Now he enters his second full season in charge, and the franchise is banking on his experience and steadier hand to guide them through this transitional phase.
The challenge Milwaukee faces is the same one that confronts every NBA contender: sustaining relevance over time.
Between the salary cap, the aging curve, and the difficulty of finding complementary stars, very few teams manage to stay near the top for long. The Bucks had their window, capitalized with a title, and are now trying to stretch that championship DNA into a new era.
For now, the Bucks appear to be in the middle of a reload rather than a rebuild. Fans can only hope it’s a short one.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/briansampson/2025/09/25/comparing-milwaukee-bucks-roster-to-past-years/
