Two Genius Signings The Milwaukee Bucks Made This Offseason

After being eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the 2025 Playoffs, the Milwaukee Bucks faced their most important offseason in quite some time (arguably their most important in franchise history).

And so far, while I haven’t loved all their movesthey have managed to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo around for at least a little while longer, and they pulled off two massively underrated free agency signings.

Re-Signing Ryan Rollins

I’ve been telling anyone that will listen that Rollins is going to be a good role player in this league for the next decade.

He’s already a good defensive guard – ranking in the 68th percentile in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus and the 89th percentile in steal rate (per Dunks & Threes). Rollins’ swift agility, supreme positional length (6’10 wingspan), and cat-like reflexes make him useful as a point-of-attack stopper, a defensive playmaker in passing lanes, and a chaser against off-ball actions.

On offense, his experience playing guard throughout his high school and collegiate career gives him some appeal as an attacker off the catch. Last season, he ranked in the 62nd percentile in true shooting on drives (per NBA.com).

Given that he will spend most of his time off the ball on offense, shooting will be the determining factor for how far he goes as a consistent rotation player. Jump shooting was not a strength for Rollins in college (31.7% from three at Toledo), but last season he showed notable improvement in this area (hitting 46.4% of his mid-rangers and 40.8% of his threes on solid volume).

It’s hard to find complementary players who can be a positive force on both sides of the floor. Rollins has the makings of someone who can fill this void for Milwaukee. That is why his three-year, 12-million-dollar contract is such a valuable deal. According to my formula for estimating production valueRollins will be worth 5.3 million dollars to the Bucks by just maintaining his output from last year (when he played just 56 games). If Rollins builds on last year’s success (something I anticipate him doing), this will prove to be one of the best bang-for-your-buck moves of this offseason.

Adding Cole Anthony On A Veteran’s Minimum

After being included in the Desmond Bane trade, Cole Anthony was bought out by the Memphis Grizzlies. Soon after, Anthony agreed to a one-year, 2.7-million-dollar contract with the Bucks.

On the surface, this transaction seems like a desperate attempt by the Bucks to fill the playmaking void left by Damian Lillard. Besides, if Anthony is so good, why was he struggling to get playing time (18.4 MPG) on an Orlando Magic team that was desperate for any sort of offensive contribution (27th in offensive rating)?

While both of these sentiments are valid, let’s not forget that just two short years ago, Anthony was looking like one of the better sixth men in the association. When his shot is falling, Anthony is a strong pull-up shooter. In 2022-23, Anthony shot 49.4% on midrange jumpers (88th percentile) and 38.6% on pull-up threes (26th of the 131 players that attempted at least 50 such shots). He can also pass (63rd percentile in Passer Rating last season) and create open shots for others (77th percentile in Box Creation).

His stout frame and pitbull-like mentality prevent him from being a negative on defense. And don’t forget the pogo stick hops that landed him in the 2022 Slam Dunk Contest and the 96th percentile in block rate among point guards last season (per Cleaning the Glass). Overall, Anthony’s DEF EPM graded in the 59th percentile in 2024-25. This allows the Bucks to profit off his offensive exploits without paying a massive tax on the defensive side of the ball.

Neither Rollins nor Anthony is a sure bet to succeed next season. But as we learned last year – when the Bucks went 10-4 without Lillard – Antetokounmpo is at his best when surrounded by two-way players. At their best, Rollins and Anthony project as such.

Moves like these may not turn Milwaukee into the contender Antetokounmpo yearns to play for, but they do make them a sneaky dangerous team in what appears to be a shallow Eastern Conference next season.