The Milwaukee Bucks have retooled their roster this offseason following their third consecutive first-round playoff exit.
By waiving Damian Lillard and stretching the remaining $113 million on his contract over the next five years, Milwaukee managed to create enough cap space to sign Myles Turner to a four-year, $108.9 million deal. The club also brought back several key role players, including Bobby Portis, Gary Trent Jr., Kevin Porter Jr. and Taurean Prince.
However, Danny Chau of The Ringer named Ryan Rollins, who re-signed with the Bucks on a three-year, $12 million deal, the club’s most intriguing wild card ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
Rollins’ growing role may impact Milwaukee’s title hopes
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Rollins signed a two-year, two-way deal with the Bucks in February 2024 and was later converted to a standard deal in March 2025. The 23-year-old went from inconsistent playing time and spot starts to a pivotal piece for Milwaukee while Lillard was sidelined.
“Perhaps the most intriguing wild card on the roster is fourth-year breakout candidate Ryan Rollins, who earned the trust of Doc Rivers against all odds last season,” [Chau wrote](https://www.theringer.com/2025/08/18/nba/nba-offseason-2025-zags-giannis-antetokounmpo-joel-embiid). “Standing at 6-foot-3 with an astounding 6-foot-10 wingspan, Rollins will mostly impact the defense, but he flirted with a 50-40-80 season in his first year as an NBA rotation player.”
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With Lillard sidelined in Rollins’ final 13 regular-season appearances (11 starts), he averaged 10.8 points, 3.9 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals across 24.4 minutes per game. He also recorded impressive shooting splits of 52.5/47.8/75.0 during that span.
Rollins will compete for an increased role in a backcourt featuring Porter, Trent, Cole Anthony and AJ Green. Although it remains unclear whether Rollins will command a starting role, he has seemingly gained Rivers’ trust and could step up for Milwaukee in a wide-open Eastern Conference.
Milwaukee will need a group effort in the backcourt to replace Lillard’s impact, and Rollins should have a golden opportunity to prove his worth in a more consistent role.
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