The Milwaukee Bucks took a huge leap into the NBA’s upper echelon this past season, but if they want to continue with the players who got them there it’ll cost a pretty penny.
According to Spotrac, the figure is over a half a billion U.S. dollars — $524 million, to be exact, using current estimates.
- Khris Middleton: Five-year, $190 million max contract
- Malcolm Brogdon: Matching potential four-year, $80 million offer sheet
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: Five-year, $245 million supermax next summer
And we thought the Golden State Warriors were looking at an expensive bill. Sheesh.
There is certainly a case to be made that Middleton isn’t worth a max deal — we made that case here. Yet nobody can deny just how far the Bucks came this past season in part because of the way the core group played together. And Middleton was a key part of that group.
Brogdon is an ascending player and $20 million per year is a relative bargain, so matching any contract seems like a move the Bucks have to make for the restricted free agent.
Antetokounmpo, of course, is the reigning NBA MVP and is still just scratching the surface of his true potential. He’s already favored to win MVP again next year, and he’s arguably the league’s top all-around player these days. Translation: The Bucks aren’t going to let this guy leave if they can help it.
All that to say that it wouldn’t be surprising if the Bucks ultimately did spend more than a half billion to keep these three players in the fold for the foreseeable future.