The young guard is now a restricted free agent.
On free agency’s eve, some of the key decisions are starting to be made by the Bucks. We don’t know about Bobby Portis’ option decision yet, but we do know that Milwaukee has put itself in the driver’s seat when it comes to their lone restricted free agent, Ryan Rollins. Eric Nehm of The Athletic reports that the Bucks have extended him his qualifying offer, which makes him an RFA. That offer is worth about $2.6m.
If you need a quick refresher, this now means Rollins and the Bucks have a few options. For the player himself, he can accept that offer, which amounts to a one-year contract. He’ll play 2025–26 for that salary and then hit unrestricted free agency next summer. But he can also decline it, as most do, and go out in search of another contract. Any team can then sign him to an offer sheet with whatever they can give him by using either an exception or cap space. Milwaukee then has the right to match that offer and bring him back on the salary and length from another team.
Jack discussed what Rollins’ market in free agency might look like a few weeks ago. While there are only a few teams that could give him cap space, any offer that uses part of the midlevel exception (up to $14.1m for some teams) would be competitive. However, the Bucks would have no problem matching that, and because he is restricted and they have his Early Bird rights, they could bring him back without regard to the salary cap.
It’s also possible that Rollins and the Bucks come together and sign a new contract before free agency even begins Monday evening, or soon thereafter. Whatever happens, Milwaukee can retain him at what will probably be a reasonable price, assuming they want to. And at 22 with a lot of promise, why shouldn’t they?