Two-way forward Pete Nance is in the second season of his two-way deal with Milwaukee and has impressed since joining the rotation last month. He’s shooting a bonkers 51% from three on 49 attempts, good for 58.8% from the floor, to go along with solid defense. That’s just five points per game over 25 contests this season, but most Bucks fans have seen enough and want him to be converted to a standard deal. Nance is also approaching his two-way limit of 50 active games: he has nine DNP-CDs, which count as being active, so he can only be active for 16 more, with 27 left on Milwaukee’s schedule. Two-way players also cannot participate in the postseason, including play-in games.
Unfortunately, converting him is not so simple. The Bucks’ standard roster is full with 15 guaranteed contracts, and while they could waive some of their cheaper players and keep the dead money on their books without much issue, some of the best release candidates also have guaranteed money due to them next season. Gary Trent Jr., Gary Harris, and Taurean Prince each have player options for 2026–27 for around $3.9m, so if the Bucks were to waive any of them, that option value would be stretched over three further seasons. Meaning another $1.3m on top of the $20–21m in stretched salary Milwaukee already owes to Damian Lillard and Vasilije Micic through summer 2029.
The options that don’t involve stretching are the Bucks’ upcoming free agents: Ousmane Dieng, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Cam Thomas, and Andre Jackson Jr. (who has a $2.4m team option this summer—non-guaranteed salary that wouldn’t require stretching). Ajax is the obvious candidate, given his lack of playing time and lack of familial relations with Milwaukee’s star. But Thomas is actually the cheapest player on the roster now at $845k. If any of these four were waived, they’d be off the books come July 1.
In this week’s Tuesday Tracker, make a decision on Nance. Leave him on the two-way and manage his games, thus making him ineligible for any playoff action, or convert him now? We also have questions on the Bucks’ projected finish in the East and the Bucks’ first-round pick this summer.
As always, this poll will be open until midnight Central on Friday, and we’ll post the results later that day. Thanks for voting!