Milwaukee Bucks season preview: Opening schedule, win projection and everything to know for 2026-27

The 2026-27 NBA season is here! Check out our team previews, including power rankings, best- and worst-case scenarios, and fantasy advice.

East:Atlanta Hawks • Boston Celtics • Brooklyn Nets • Charlotte Hornets • Chicago Bulls • Cleveland Cavaliers • Detroit Pistons • Indiana Pacers • Miami Heat • Milwaukee Bucks • New York Knicks • Orlando Magic • Philadelphia 76ers • Toronto Raptors • Washington Wizards

West:Dallas Mavericks • Denver Nuggets • Golden State Warriors • Houston Rockets • LA Clippers • Los Angeles Lakers • Memphis Grizzlies • Minnesota Timberwolves • New Orleans Pelicans • Oklahoma City Thunder • Phoenix Suns • Portland Trail Blazers • Sacramento Kings • San Antonio Spurs • Utah Jazz

MILWAUKEE BUCKS2025-26 finish

Record: 32-50 (11th in the East, did not make the playoffs)

Offseason moves

Draft: Brayden Burries (No. 10), Nate Ament (No. 13), Malique Lewis (No. 60)

Signings: Ousmane Dieng (re-signed for 3 years, $17.5 million), Gary Trent Jr. (re-signed for 4 years, $64 million)

Trades: Tyler Herro (from Heat), Kel'el Ware (from Heat), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (from Heat), Kasparas Jakučionis (from Heat), Caris LeVert (from Pistons)

Key departures: Giannis Antetokounmpo (traded to Heat), Bobby Portis (traded to Heat), Taurean Prince (traded to Pistons), Gary Harris (traded to Pistons)

Current roster

The Bucks enter the post-Giannis era led by Tyler Herro and Taylor Jenkins. (Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images)IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERSPreseason Power Rankings: No. 29

What's exciting: After years of chasing a second championship around one of the greatest players ever, Milwaukee has a new coach and a bunch of promising players to build around. Watching those young guys develop should be a rewarding experience for Bucks fans. The two rookies — Burries and Ament — will draw most of the attention, as will the imports from Miami. But Bucks fans know the existing roster also already had some intriguing young guys with Ryan Rollins, Ousmane Dieng and Bogoljub Marković. Last season, Rollins averaged 22.4 points per 75 possessions on 58% true shooting in minutes without Giannis, per DataBallr. So he's already shown he can handle more scoring responsibility. Now Milwaukee gets to find out whether he can become one of the players it builds around.

What's concerning: The Bucks don't own their 2027 first-round pick. It's headed to New Orleans or Atlanta. So Milwaukee has every incentive to win. But a team leaning on Herro, Myles Turner and Kyle Kuzma as its best players has a slim chance of even sniffing the play-in. Unless one of the young guys makes a significant and unexpected leap, this could feel like an aimless year with too little talent to compete, with the losses improving somebody else's draft position. For the first time in a long time, Bucks fans will have to count player development as a victory.

Preseason Power Rankings: How all 30 teams stack up ahead of 2026-27

Fantasy watch

Kel'el Ware is already going off. He's another player for whom it doesn't matter if he's starting or coming off the bench. When he plays, he puts numbers on the board. Kyle Kuzma continues to be hot garbage, while Jaime Jaquez Jr. moving into the starting lineup is noteworthy. I didn't expect that to happen so soon, so he gets a bump in my rankings, too. — Dan Titus

Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Basketball league for the 2026-27 NBA season

2026-27 schedule

Opening week: 10/21 at Wizards, 10/23 vs. Bulls, 10/24 at 76ers

Complete schedule

Betting perspective

25.5 — win total

+30000 to win division

+75000 to win NBA Finals

Best case, worst case

Best case: Miss the playoffs, Giannis package + rookies thrive

If the Bucks end this season with Burries and Ament showcasing good things, at least two of Ware/Jaquez/Jakučionis making notable leaps, and Herro either solidifying himself as a firm All-Star talent or convincing another team to pony up real assets in their belief that he can be, I'd mark that as a win.

Bonus points if you can move off big-money vets like Turner, Kuzma (expiring!) or Trent Jr. for any sort of assets or roster-balancing.

Worst case: Miss the playoffs, no real answers on the young core

It'd be the exact opposite of the best case — finishing the year without feeling like you have a blue-chip prospect on the roster, no notable improvements from the Heat acquisitions, and not being able to sell on the veterans in a meaningful way. — Nekias Duncan

Read the full Central Division preview