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“I feel like the national media conversation isn’t always necessarily fair for smaller-market teams. As somebody that is from a smaller market, and I feel like my teams don’t necessarily get the same kind of recognition that they deserve, what are maybe some misconceptions that you would want to clear up about the city of Milwaukee, the Bucks fan base, and the Milwaukee Bucks franchise?” Ryan Rollins: “I would say the main thing is just recently, how LeBron said the whole thing about Milwaukee — and I think Memphis was the other city. Milwaukee is a great city. They’ve got great food spots. Everybody in Milwaukee is super friendly. There are a lot of hidden gems out there. But I think more so what he was trying to get toward was, if you’re a visiting team, it’s not really a lot to do. But if you’re from there, and you get to go around the city a little bit and meet people, it’s a great city. Everybody’s nice, everybody’s friendly, they’re welcoming, and they show a lot of love out there, too. Milwaukee is a great fan base, and I like it, man. It’s a low-key spot. I’m a low-key guy, so I guess it fits me.”
So with that being said, Taylor Jenkins, your new head coach — what kind of conversations have you had with him? How have you been able to get a relationship with him going so far?” Ryan Rollins: “Yeah, I mean, I haven’t called him, but I have texted him a couple times, too, just congratulating him and his family. It’s a good situation that we’re coming into, having a new head coach. I don’t know all that’s going to be switched around by the time next season comes, but I’m just ready to come in and make an impact, continue the growth, build a culture, and build a winning foundation. You know what I mean? That’s really what I’m keyed in on and ready for next season.”
Per league sources, new Bucks coach Taylor Jenkins signed a long-term deal with a salary that is well north of $10 million annually. Jenkins isn’t the highest-paid coach in the league, as that honor goes to Golden State’s Steve Kerr at $17.5 million annually (for now, as he continues to contemplate whether to return). Miami’s Erik Spoelstra is second (approximately $15 million). And Jenkins, the former Memphis Grizzlies coach who was once a Bucks assistant in Antetokounmpo’s early days, is up there now.
Speaking on Sirius XM’s “Deals and Dunks” on Monday, NBA insider Marc Stein tabbed the Celtics as a team that could be in the running for the two-time MVP if the Bucks opt to move him after a disappointing 2025-26 season. “Because they’ve created this [cap] flexibility for themselves when it looked like it was gonna be really hard to do so — I feel like they’re gonna be able to make moves,” Stein said of the Celtics. “There will inevitably be people who bring back the, ‘Do they break up Tatum and [Jaylen] Brown’ — like, that storyline will probably come back. “There have been some rumblings at various points during the season that the Celtics could be a stealth Giannis team and a team that potentially interests Giannis. So let’s keep our eye on the Celtics. We know Brad Stevens is not afraid to make big moves and take big swings. So I think we have to be ready for just about anything with Boston.”
…When it comes to Dundon's first NBA offseason in charge, I've heard from multiple league sources that the Blazers are expected to emerge as a prime trade suitor for Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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Yet sources have insisted this week that the Blazers are as interested in actually trying to land Antetokounmpo for themselves as other frequently mentioned suitors such as Miami, Minnesota, Golden State and New York. I'm also that Portland engaged in trade talks with Milwaukee as recently as the Tuesday before the league's annual in-season trade deadline (which always falls on a Thursday) before various interested teams finally conceded that the Bucks were not truly willing to part with Antetokounmpo even as they were already spiraling to a 32-50 finish.
I've heard that same trade sentiment floating around the league ahead of potential contract extension talks this summer and I've likewise been advised by sources close to the situation to regard Portland as a potential Davis suitor should it fall short in its Antetokounmpo pursuit.
Similar to Durant, the Rockets won’t necessarily pigeonhole or wed themselves to one type of star, but desired additions such as the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard, the Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell, the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo and the 76ers’ Joel Embiid, among others, will be discussed, sources said, but fit, opportunity cost and price go hand in hand.
Fullcourtpass: Giannis Antetokounmpo watching Olympiacos in Greece with Novak Djokovic (Via @BasketNews_com )
Giannis Antetokounmpo watching Olympiacos in Greece with Novak Djokovic
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) April 30, 2026
(Via @BasketNews_com) pic.twitter.com/BIZ8iw9JOu
Eric Nehm: The Bucks have made the hiring of Taylor Jenkins official. The introductory press conference will be next Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Here is the press release:
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With so many experienced coaches around him, Rondo was given a spectacular opportunity in Milwaukee to observe how to do the job, but he also asked questions. “He has a trait that every aspiring, currently active or former coach should have, and that’s being inquisitive,” Darvin Ham told The Athletic. “He’s very curious to learn the process of things, what triggers certain actions, what triggers certain reactions on both sides of the ball. “He knows the game, but the art of trying to teach it so the players can comprehend it, that’s the part he’s picking up. The preparation process, how it goes from paper to film to actual on-court methods to after game time, and then, boom, rinse and repeat, so to speak. He’s been great, man. He’s just very intuitive, really asking questions.”
Addressing his status for the upcoming international play, with the schedule for the senior national team of Greece featuring two FIBA windows this summer, Giannis Antetokounmpo revealed that he will be unable to suit up in the upcoming FIBA World Cup 2027 games in July and August. “I cannot play in the World Cup qualifying windows. I really wanted to play with the national team, because I did not play much with the Bucks this season due to injury. Now that I’m healthy, I wanted to play, but we will wait until 2027,” he explained in a walk-and-talk with Greek broadcaster ANT1, pointing toward the World Cup’s final stage in Qatar during the next offseason as his next major milestone with the national team. “My legs are fine,” he added.
Giannis Antetokounmpo also spoke about his drive within the NBA, even as speculation regarding a potential departure from Milwaukee intensifies. Despite the uncertainty surrounding his next steps, the competitive fire remains undiminished. He was direct when discussing his ultimate objective, confirming a clear desire to replicate the success of his 2021 title run. “I want another championship,” the 31-year-old point forward stated simply.
Dybantsa got a head start on having his body ready for the physicality at the next level while at BYU, working with the director of strength and conditioning and sports science, Michael Davie, who previously won a championship in a similar role with the Milwaukee Bucks. "He would do a lot of strength testing with us and he would compare us to a lot of the guys in the NBA, because he would have that type of info on his iPad," Dybantsa said. "So he would compare, for example, my lateral movement compared to Jrue Holiday or my vertical jump compared to Giannis [Antetokounmpo]. So I kind of got to see where I was ranked early on in my college career."