These three former Milwaukee Bucks players are still looking for new employment opportunities despite the NBA being nearly two months into free agency.
As the 2024-25 NBA season approaches, all eyes are on the Milwaukee Bucks to see if they can rebound from their disappointing postseason exit. General manager Jon Horst didn’t have a ton of money to upgrade the roster this offseason, however, he still managed to flesh out the lineup by adding veterans Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince, and Delon Wright through free agency.
The arrival of new faces means that members of last year’s roster couldn’t return to Milwaukee, though. While some of those players have already found new basketball opportunities, others are still standing in the unemployment line.
When it comes to the latter, here are three former Bucks who are still looking for new jobs.
1. Jae Crowder, PF/SF
Jae Crowder is a seasoned 12-year NBA veteran who’s still looking for another opportunity. The former 2012 second-rounder played his first 10 seasons across seven different franchises before being traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Bucks ahead of the 2023 trade deadline.
2. Danilo Gallinari, PF/SF
Veteran forward Danilo Gallinari spent time with three NBA franchises last season, including the Bucks. After being acquired from the Washington Wizard in January, the former Italian League MVP was waived by the Detroit Pistons ahead of the trade deadline, allowing him to sign with the Bucks for the remainder of the year on Feb. 21.
The Bucks hoped that a reunion with head coach Doc Rivers could bring out the best in Gallinari. After all, the former 2008 first-rounder averaged 18.7 points and 5.8 rebounds with .448/.408/.909 splits in two seasons playing under Rivers with the LA Clippers from 2017 to 2019.
Unfortunately, the reunion didn’t yield any noteworthy results. Gallinari barely made his presence felt on the hardwood as he only averaged 2.8 points and 1.1 rebounds while playing 9.1 minutes across 17 games. Even worse is the fact that tallied a 37.8 FG% and 17.6 3P%, further illustrating just how ineffective he was.
Even though Gallinari has received minimal attention this summer, his Olympic performance could change that. Suiting up in three games for Italy in Paris last month, Gallinari led his country in points (14.3) while adding 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists with .632/.667/.882 splits. That isn’t to say he’ll have similar success in the NBA, however, it shows that he might not be as washed up as perceived.
With various teams always looking to improve their frontcourt, Gallinari could garner some attention as we move closer to the season — especially if training camp injuries emerge around the league.
3. Thanasis Antetokounmpo, PF/C
Thanasis Antetokounmpo has been a part of the Bucks’ roster for the last five seasons, mostly because his younger brother — Giannis — is the face of the franchise. Having said that, it looks like Milwaukee has had enough of showing love to the elder Antetokounmpo.
It’d be one thing if Thanasis looked like an NBA player on the floor, but that’s far from the case and the 2023-24 campaign cemented that fact. The Greek forward only put up 0.9 points, 0.5 assists, and 0.4 steals while averaging 4.6 minutes across 34 games. He only saw playing time in blowout sand when injuries popped up, but even then he failed to make the most of his opportunities.
All you need is this clip from February of Damian Lillard laughing at Thanasis’ eight-second violation against the Denver Nuggets to understand just how badly the latter doesn’t belong in the league.