Fans wanted Beal too, but alas…
In Reacts this week, we asked you some more questions about the Bucks’ somewhat new-look backcourt for 2025–26 now that Cole Anthony has officially signed. While Anthony has been a starting point guard in the past, it’s been a few years since he moved to the Magic’s second unit, which was where Kevin Porter Jr. plied his trade for the Bucks after arriving last February. In fact, it was Ryan Rollins who drew the starting gig most of the time when new/old Portland Trail Blazer Damian Lillard was out. Of the two returning options and the new guy, who’s the preference?
I do agree that KPJ is the best option of the three, though I hope to see Rollins get a lot of time in the backcourt too. The beauty of Milwaukee’s point guard situation is that while it’s lacking in star power, it’s versatile; Anthony is more confined to the one, but the other two are combo guys. Either can handle or play off-ball, though Rollins is the ballhandler I’m the least confident in among their options at point. That being said, Rollins is also the best defender of the trio, so it’s my hope he can evolve into the youthful, athletic point-of-attack defender Milwaukee has been searching for since Jrue Holiday and Jevon Carter left town.
As I’ve mentioned, a few weeks ago, 65% of voters thought the Bucks needed a different starting point guard than KPJ. In the interim, Rollins re-signed and Anthony joined, so did Porter win some favor during that time? Did some of that 65% swing towards him, upping the 35% of people who wanted him to start to 54%? Or is he just the best option of what Milwaukee has on hand? I’d be curious to hear your rationale if you thought they needed a different starting PG, but now also think KPJ should be the guy.
We also asked about if you wanted Milwaukee to sign a higher-profile name who at that point, hadn’t officially hit the market. But Bradley Beal’s buyout befell Bucks backers on Wednesday with news that he’d then sign with the Clippers, as had been rumored. That was enough time, however, to see whether or not most voters wanted him, and it appeared they did:
Beal reportedly signed with Los Angeles using their taxpayer mid-level exception of around $5.7m, which was a sum Milwaukee couldn’t quite match after committing most of their room exception (a different form of the MLE available to teams who create cap space, as Milwaukee did to sign Myles Turner) to Porter. Since Beal had to give back about $13.9m of the two years and $110m remaining on his contract to the Suns, it makes sense he’d opt for the two-year, $11m deal from the Clippers and recoup as much of his losses as possible.
Had the Bucks been able to land him, he would have provided a needed credible second scoring option next to Giannis, but it would have created quite the logjam at the two with Gary Trent Jr.’s return and AJ Green sticking around. I suppose all three guys could also play the three, but the Bucks would then be pretty small as all of them are listed at 6’4” or 6’5”. It’s a moot point, in any case.
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