The Milwaukee Bucks used their lone selection in the 2025 NBA Draft to add a teenage international big man with an ability to score inside and out.
Duke's Cooper Flagg goes No. 1 in NBA draft to Dallas Mavericks
With the 17th pick in the second round (47th overall) at the Barclays Center on Thursday night in Brooklyn, Milwaukee drafted Serbian forward Bogoljub Markovic to add an intriguing young piece to a roster in flux.
The 6-foot-11, 220-pound big man is set to turn 20 years old in just over two weeks on July 12. According to the ESPN broadcast, the “highly skilled” Markovic helped the Serbian U-18 team to a gold medal at the 2023 FIBA European Championships before standing out in front of league executives at the Nike Hoops Summit in April.
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Markovic told ESPN reporter Monica McNutt after being picked by the Bucks that his experience at the international level has helped him develop physically and mentally.
“I’m just super glad to be here, blessed, ready to get to work” Markovic said before showing off his linguistic skills with a bit of Serbian.
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This past season, Markovic was named the 2024-25 Adriatic Basketball Association Best Young Player and received ABA Player of the Month honors two times while averaging 13.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 28.9 minutes per game for Mega Basket.
Milwaukee has a number of questions to address this offseason with Damian Lillard’s torn Achilles, Gary Trent Jr.’s unrestricted free agency and Kevin Porter Jr.’s potential free agency. The Bucks also could use young reinforcements on the front line. Brook Lopez and Jericho Sims are unrestricted free agents, and Bobby Portis could join them if he doesn’t pick up his $13.4 million option.
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After the opening round of the draft on Wednesday night, when the Dallas Mavericks snapped up Duke star forward Cooper Flagg with the top overall pick and Milwaukee native Kon Knueppel went fourth overall to the Charlotte Hornets, the second round was marked by a flurry of trades throughout the night.
The Phoenix Suns opened the action by taking Rasheer Fleming after agreeing to acquire the pick earlier Thursday from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Wolves still made the No. 31 pick, but Phoenix and Minnesota had worked out the swap a few hours earlier, a person with knowledge of the details told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was not officially announced.
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Fleming, a forward from Saint Joseph’s, averaged 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks last season, ranking in the top four in the Atlantic 10 in rebounds and blocks.
The draft picked up where it left off at Barclays Center in Brooklyn — though in a much smaller portion of it than was used Wednesday for the first round.
Among the familiar names going early in the second round were Auburn All-American Johni Broome to Philadelphia at No. 35, one pick after Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner, the four-time Big East defensive player of year, was selected by Charlotte.
The Lakers were the teams to wheel and deal, agreeing to acquire the rights to Adou Thiero, the 36th pick from Arkansas. They will be required after sending out cash in the deal to stay below the second apron next season.
Indiana added a pair of 23-year-old guards, as they acquired the No. 38 pick from San Antonio to take Marquette’s Kam Jones and then chose Liberty’s Taelon Peter at No. 54.
The league began with the two-night format last year, believing the event was ending too late when all 60 picks, along with approving trades, was being done in one night.
Teams like the new way, with the ability to catch their breathe and evaluate after the first round, but the players’ side don’t like the potential lengthy wait for players who are on the fringe of the first round but then have to wait another night if they tumble into the second.
AP reporters Brain Mahoney and David Brandt contributed to this report.
How the Bucks have fared in the NBA Draft over the past 10 seasons
2023 — Chris Livingston
Round: 2
Pick: 58
Position: Forward
NBA career: Chris Livingston, shown defending Scotty Pippen Jr. during a preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers, appeared in 21 regular-season games and two playoff contests as a rookie.
In 4.3 minutes per game of regular-season action, the Kentucky product averaged 1.2 points and 1.0 rebounds while shooting 50% from the field. The final pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and Milwaukee's lone selection, Livingston also contributed two points in just over 6 minutes of postseason play across two losses. MARK J. TERRILL, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
2022 — MarJon Beauchamp
Round: 1
Pick: 24
Position: Forward
NBA career: A year after leaving the draft empty-handed for the second time in three seasons, Milwaukee selected 21-year-old MarJon Beauchamp after he showed flashes of potential with the G League's Ignite team following one season at Yakima Valley College in Washington.
In his rookie campaign with the Bucks, he made 11 starts in 52 regular-season appearances while averaging 5.1 points and 2.2 rebounds in 13.5 minutes a game. The 2023-24 season saw a slight reduction in playing time for Beauchamp, who finished his second year with averages of 4.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in 12.7 minutes a game across 48 appearances, with just one start.
Beauchamp failed to crack the regular playoff rotation both seasons, appearing in six postseason games but averaging just 2.5 minutes and 1.3 points in mop-up duty in Milwaukee's first-round exits. MICHAEL WYKE, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
2020 — Jordan Nwora
Round: 2
Pick: 45
Position: Forward
NBA career: After Milwaukee traded away its 2020 first-round selection (No. 24) following a year that saw the Bucks go without adding any draft picks, the franchise's lone selection came with Jordan Nwora. The Louisville product, coming off a consensus third-team All-American and first-team All-ACC season as a junior, appeared in 30 games, including two starts, as a rookie while averaging 5.7 points and 2.0 rebounds a game in 9.1 minutes of action.
During the Bucks' run to the 2021 NBA title, Nwora appeared in five playoff games, including Game 3 of the NBA Finals, and averaged 3.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in 6.2 minutes a game of postseason play.
Nwora showed improvement during the 2021-22 campaign with Milwaukee, finishing with 7.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 19.1 minutes of action across 62 regular-season games, including 13 starts. He started his third season with the Bucks seeing a reduction in playing time to 15.7 minutes per game, averaging 6.0 points and 3.1 rebounds across 38 games, with three starts, before being dealt as part of a four-team deal in February 2023.
Milwaukee netted Jae Crowder in the massive trade that shipped Nwora to the Indiana Pacers, and Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets to Phoenix Suns. Nwora finished the 2022-23 season in Indiana, averaging 13.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in 24.6 minutes across 24 games, including 11 starts.
Nwora's fourth season in the league brought his second trade, and third team, just months after his 25th birthday. After appearing in 18 games with the Pacers to start the 2023-24 campaign, and averaging just 5.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in 10.2 minutes of action, Nwora was traded along with other players and assets to the Toronto Raptors in January for Pascal Siakam, who played a leading role in Indiana's first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in a decade.
Nwora went on to appear in 34 games for the Raptors, making just one start while averaging 7.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in 15.6 minutes a game. ABBIE PARR, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
2018 — Donte DiVincenzo
Round: 1
Pick: 17
Position: Guard
NBA career: Donte DiVincenzo was coming off his second NCAA championship at Villanova, and was the reigning Big East sixth man of the year, when Milwaukee selected him midway through the first round in 2018. Despite his collegiate experience, he saw limited action as a rookie with the Bucks, appearing in 27 games and averaging 4.9 points, 1.1 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 15.2 minutes of action.
DiVincenzo saw his role with Milwaukee increase over the next two seasons. During the 2019-20 season, he started 24 of the 66 games he played in while averaging 9.2 points, 2.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds in 23.0 minutes a game. The following season he started all 66 games he played in, averaging 10.4 points, 3.1 assists and 5.8 rebounds before a torn ligament in his left ankle three games into the postseason ended his on-court contributions to the Bucks' title run.
DiVincenzo returned the following season and appeared in 17 games for Milwaukee, averaging 7.2 points, 1.7 assists and 3.5 rebounds before being dealt to the Sacramento Kings in February 2022 as part of a four-way deal that netted Milwaukee Serge Ibaka. DiVincenzo finished the season with the Kings, averaging 10.3 points, 3.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds in 26.6 minutes across 25 games, including one start.
For his fifth NBA season, Divincenzo signed a free-agent deal with the Golden State Warriors ahead of the 2022-23 season. In 72 regular-season games, including 36 starts, he averaged 9.4 points, 3.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds.
Following his lone season with the Warriors, DiVincenzo joined the New York Knicks as a free agent ahead of this past season, averaging 15.5 points, 2.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 29.1 minutes a game across 81 contests, including 63 starts. He stepped his game up to another level in the postseason, putting up 17.8 points, 2.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds over 13 postseason starts while helping New York reach the second round. MICHAEL CONROY, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
2017 — D.J. Wilson
Round: 1
Pick: 17
Position: Forward
NBA career: Milwaukee took D.J. Wilson, a Big Ten product who spent three seasons at Michigan, just past the halfway point of the first round in an attempt to bolster its frontcourt versatility. He saw limited opportunities as a rookie, playing in just 22 games and averaging 1.0 points and 0.5 rebounds in 3.2 minutes per game.
Wilson showed minimal improvement over his next two seasons with the Bucks, with the high point coming during his second season when he averaged 5.8 points a game in 18.4 minutes across 48 games with three starts. But it wasn't enough to hang around as he was dealt to the Houston Rockets in March 2021 as part of a package that netted Milwaukee PJ Tucker.
Wilson appeared in 23 games for the Rockets, with one start, during the 2020-21 season before bouncing around the league. During the 2021-22 season, he played four games for the Toronto Raptors and this past season he saw action in just two games for the Philadelphia 76ers. JOSE LUIS VILLEGAS, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
2016 — Thon Maker
Round: 1
Pick: 10
Position: Center
NBA career: With their most-recent lottery pick, the Bucks took a chance on another high-risk, high-reward player just three years after hitting the jackpot with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, despite some flashes of potential, Thon Maker did not live up to those lofty expectations.
After making 34 starts in 57 games as a rookie while averaging 4.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.5 blocks, Maker plateaued over his next season and a half in Milwaukee. He started the 2018-19 season with the Bucks, appearing in 35 games but making no starts, while averaging 4.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.5 blocks. In February 2019, Milwaukee traded Maker to the Detroit Pistons in a deal that sent Nikola Mirotic to the Bucks.
Maker averaged 4.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 15.0 minutes a contest across 89 regular-season games, including 19 starts, during his two seasons with the Pistons.
Maker's last NBA playing time came during the 2020-21 season, his fifth in the league. In November 2020, Maker signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers and appeared in eight games — averaging 3.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 9.5 minutes a game — before being waived in January 2021. JOHN RAOUX, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
2016 — Malcolm Brogdon
Round: 2
Pick: 36
Position: Guard
NBA career: Despite being Milwaukee's second-round selection in 2016, Malcolm Brogdon has gone on to have a larger impact than Maker had after going with the No. 10 pick. He came out of the gates hot, winning the league's Rookie of the Year award after averaging 10.2 points, 4.2 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 26.4 minutes a game across 75 regular-season contests, including 28 starts.
Brogdon followed up his strong first season with two more productive years with the Bucks, ending his run in Milwaukee after the 2018-19 season when he averaged 15.6 points, 3.2 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 28.6 minutes a game while starting all 64 regular-season contests in which he appeared.
Brogdon joined the Indiana Pacers as a free agent ahead of his fourth pro season, going on to average 18.9 points, 6.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds a game over three seasons with the Pacers while starting all 146 regular-season games in which he appeared.
During the 2022 offseason, Indiana dealt Brogdon to the Boston Celtics for a handful of players and draft picks. He went on to appear in 67 regular-season games in his lone season with Boston, making no starts but winning Sixth Man of the Year while averaging 15.7 points, 5.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 28.7 minutes a game. Brogdon helped the Celtics reach the Eastern Conference Finals, averaging 11.9 points, 2.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds off the bench in 19 postseason games.
Brogdon was dealt just ahead of the 2023-24 season, with Boston sending him to the Portland Trailblazers as part of a package that landed former Bucks guard Jrue Holiday with the Celtics. Holiday, who was shipped by Milwaukee earlier in the offseason for All-Star guard Damian Lillard, went on to help Boston win its first NBA title since 2008 with a 4-1 series victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Brogdon went on to appear in 39 regular-season games with Portland, including 25 starts, while averaging 15.7 points, 5.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds. KEVIN M. COX, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
2015 — Rashad Vaughn
Round: 1
Pick: 17
Position: Guard
NBA career: Rashad Vaughn got off to a solid start as a rookie in Milwaukee, averaging just 3.1 points and 1.3 rebounds in 14.3 minutes a game but appearing in 70 regular-season contests, including seven starts. He saw his playing time dip in his second season, averaging 3.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 11.2 minutes across 41 games, with just two starts.
In his third season in the league, Vaughn saw his playing time further reduced over 22 games with the Bucks before they dealt him in February 2018 to the Brooklyn Nets for Tyler Zeller. Vaughn appeared in just one game for the Nets before finishing the 2017-18 season with a short stint with the Orlando Magic.
Vaughn has not appeared in an NBA game since his third season in the league, last seeing action in March 2018. JOHN RAOUX, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
2014 — Jabari Parker
Round: 1
Pick: 2
Position: Forward
NBA career: The biggest what-if in the last decade of drafts for Milwaukee is undoubtedly Jabari Parker, the highly touted Duke prospect who was expected to pair with Giannis Antetokounmpo in the Bucks' frontcourt of the future. Parker, who was taken No. 2 overall after Minnesota selected Andrew Wiggins and before Philadelphia took Joel Embiid at No. 3, got off to a strong start as a rookie before an ACL injury derailed his career just 25 games in.
Parker finished his rookie season averaging 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in 29.5 minutes a game across 25 starts, but the injury prevented an accurate assessment of the franchise's approach. He bounced back the following season to average 14.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in 31.7 minutes a night over 76 games, including 72 starts.
But another ACL injury during Parker's third year halted the progress he had shown with averages of 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists over 51 games with 50 starts during the 2016-17 campaign. Parker played one more season with Milwaukee, averaging 12.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in 24.0 minutes a game in 31 appearances, including three starts.
Parker bounced around the league as he tried to find a long-term home following his injuries. He went on to play for five more teams: Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, Sacramento and Boston, where he played 10 regular season games during the 2020-21 season and 12 during the 2021-22 campaign, his last in the NBA. TONY DEJAK, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
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