Bucks offseason primer: There’s less to spend, but more to spend on

Heading into the summer, the core of the team is under contract. Giannis ($48,787,676), Damian Lillard (also $48,787,676), Chris Middleton ($31,666,667), Brook Lopez ($23,000,000), Bobby Portis ($12,578,286) and Pat Connaughton ($9,423,869), the majority of the team’s core, is already under contract for 2024-25.

Another way to look at it is that continuity will represent the team in a good place. A full year for Lillard, along with Antetokounmpo’s return to health, should see the Buckeyes get another chance to reach the bottom of their roster in a way they haven’t seen this season. Other important bench players (Malik Beasley, Jae Crowder, Patrick Beverley) will be free with different levels of desirability on the market, but the players who defined the Bucks over the past few years are still there, and they’re still good.

That said, they will need to. Things are starting to get more expensive, and reinforcements will be harder to come by.