Milwaukee has 11 days to decide whether Jaime Jaquez Jr. is part of the next version of the Bucks or just a useful expiring contract. The rookie-scale extension deadline is Oct. 19, and so far the front office is doing what front offices do when they are undecided: talking without committing.
“We’re not opposed to having those conversations,” general manager Jon Horst said of his extension-eligible players, before adding the line every agent hates to hear. “Just because we don’t doesn’t mean we don’t value them.”
The Number Is Not Scary
Jaquez, 25, arrived in the July trade that sent Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to Miami. He averaged 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 75 games for the Heat last season, which is starter production out of the 18th pick in the 2023 draft.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks put a fair deal at four years and $60 million to $72 million, or five years and $75 million to $90 million. Jaquez’s cap hold next summer is $17.8 million, and Milwaukee would like a first-year salary somewhere near that figure to protect its flexibility. For context, next season’s non-taxpayer mid-level exception is projected around $16 million. The Bucks can lock up a 25-year-old starter for roughly mid-level money.
Then look at what the rest of that draft class collected. Victor Wembanyama signed a $252 million maximum. Amen Thompson got $208 million, Keyonte George $157.5 million and Ausar Thompson $155 million, all on five-year deals, with the Thompsons and George taking no options at all. Jaquez is not in that tier and his projected price says so.
Waiting Costs More Than Signing
The case for waiting is that restricted free agency has been a buyer’s market, and Marks noted a team can hold off if it believes the player will be cheaper in July. The case against it is simpler. A 25-year-old coming off a 15-point, five-rebound, five-assist season gets an offer sheet, and Milwaukee would then be negotiating against somebody else’s structure instead of writing its own.
Marks made the point that should settle it: “I think whenever you look at it you always want to make sure it could be a tradeable contract.” A five-year deal starting near $17 million with no options is exactly that kind of paper. If the Bucks later decide Jaquez is not a core piece, that contract is an asset rather than a problem.
Jaquez is handling the window the right way. “I’m here to work right now,” he said, while acknowledging, “My contract is the one that is going into next year.” He knows the date is on the calendar and he is not making a scene about it. Nothing has been agreed to and nobody has reported a formal offer.
Milwaukee just traded a two-time MVP and got back young players and picks. The entire purpose of that haul is to turn it into a core before the picks start conveying. Five years and $80 million for a starter who turns 26 in February is going to read like a bargain by 2028. Get it done before the 19th.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.