CapmathThe NBA Cap Ledger
Vol. XI · 2026-27 · Computed live
Vol. XI · 2026-27 · Computed live
Milwaukee Bucks · Salary cap report
Bucks are $1.6M over the first apron.
Milwaukee Bucks payroll for the 2026-27 season is $205.8M against a $165.0M salary cap.
Payroll, the money committed to the roster, is signed salaries, dead money, and drafted-rookie holds: $205.8M. Counting cap holds for their own free agents, the Bucks' cap number rises to $212.4M, which is why there is no usable cap space until those holds come off the books. Renouncing every free-agent hold would open -$40.9M of room and give up Bird rights. Drafted-rookie holds count against the cap, not the luxury tax.
Run Bucks' offseason yourself→Over the first apron
What the numbers mean
Payroll$205.8M
The salaries actually committed to players right now.
Counts against the cap$212.4M
What the league counts: payroll plus free-agent hold placeholders.
Luxury tax lineOVERby $5.4M
Cross it and the team pays a penalty on every dollar over.
First apron lineOVERby $1.6M
A stricter line. Over it, the bigger roster tools freeze. The apron figure counts $4.8M in unlikely bonuses on top of payroll: incentive money a player probably won't earn, which counts against the aprons but not the cap or tax.
Where the Bucks land · payroll against the cap lines
Cap$165.0MTax$200.4MApron 1$209.0MApron 2$221.7M
The solid bar is real payroll. The hatched extension is a free-agent hold crossing the cap line. Renounce it and the room clears.
The apron math · what counts toward the aprons
Payroll (contracts, dead money, drafted rookies)$205.8M
Unlikely bonuses+$4.8M
Apron figure$210.6M
First apron $209.0MOVERby $1.6M
Second apron $221.7MUNDERby $11.1M
Free-agent cap holds never count toward the aprons. Only payroll (with drafted rookies booked as signed) and unlikely bonuses, incentive money a player probably won't earn, do.
The books
2026-27 focused
| Player | Pos | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signed contracts | ||||
| Tyler Herro | G | $33.0M | – | – |
| Myles Turner | C | $26.6M | $27.9M | PO$29.1M |
| Kyle Kuzma | F | $20.5M | – | – |
| Gary Trent Jr. | G | TO$15.2M | $16.4M | $16.4M |
| Caris LeVert | G | $14.8M | – | – |
| A.J. Green | G | $10.0M | $10.8M | $11.7M |
| Brayden Burries | G | $6.4M | $6.7M | $7.1M |
| Jaime Jaquez Jr. | G | TO$5.9M | – | – |
| Ousmane Dieng | F | $5.8M | $5.8M | $5.8M |
| Nate Ament | F | $5.5M | $5.8M | $6.1M |
| Kevin Porter Jr. | G | PO$5.4M | – | – |
| Kel'el Ware | C | TO$4.7M | TO$7.1M | – |
| Ryan Rollins | G | $4.0M | PO$4.0M | – |
| Kasparas Jakučionis | G | $3.8M | TO$4.0M | TO$6.2M |
| Jericho Sims | F | PO$2.8M | – | – |
| Pete Nance | F | $2.5M | TO$2.8M | – |
| Andre Jackson Jr. | G | TO$2.4M | – | – |
| Bogoljub Marković | F | $1.4M | $2.3M | $2.7M |
| Signed subtotal | $170.7M | $93.6M | $84.9M | |
| Draft picks · on roster, rookie-scale hold | ||||
| Brayden Burries · No. 10ROOKIE | – | $6.4M | – | – |
| Nate Ament · No. 13ROOKIE | – | $5.5M | – | – |
| Dead money | ||||
| Damian Lillard | – | $22.5M | $22.5M | $22.5M |
| Vasilije Micic | – | $0.7M | $0.7M | – |
| Payroll | $205.8M | $116.8M | $107.4M | |
| Cap holds · placeholders, not paid | ||||
| John Butler Jr.MIN HOLD | F | $2.2M | – | – |
| Cormac RyanMIN HOLD | F | $2.2M | – | – |
| Malique LewisMIN HOLD | F | $2.2M | – | – |
| Caris LeVertEARLY BIRD | G | – | $19.3M | – |
| Tyler HerroBIRD 150% | G | – | $49.5M | – |
| Kel'el WareBIRD 300% | C | – | – | $21.4M |
| Jaime Jaquez Jr.BIRD 300% | G | – | $17.8M | – |
| Kasparas JakučionisBIRD 300% | G | – | – | – |
| Ousmane DiengBIRD 190% | F | – | – | – |
| Kevin Porter Jr.EARLY BIRD | G | – | $7.0M | – |
| Pete NanceEARLY BIRD | F | – | – | $3.6M |
| Andre Jackson Jr.BIRD 300% | G | – | $7.2M | – |
| Jericho SimsEARLY BIRD | F | – | $3.6M | – |
| Ryan RollinsBIRD 190% | G | – | – | $7.6M |
| Myles TurnerBIRD 150% | C | – | – | – |
| Kyle KuzmaBIRD 150% | F | – | $30.7M | – |
| Counts against the cap | $212.4M | $251.9M | $141.6M | |
What they can add
Taxpayer MLEup to $6.1M
A smaller mid-level signing slot, the only one this high. Using it locks their spending at the second apron.
Bird rightsLets them re-sign their own free agents up to the max.
Locked outUp here they lose the bigger mid-level and the bi-annual slot, can't bring a player in by sign-and-trade, and can't take back more salary than they send out.
Trade exceptions
Trade exception · from the Giannis Antetokounmpo tradeup to $25.5M
Absorbs one incoming contract up to this amount with no salary matching. Expires Jun 22, 2027.
Trade exception · from the Bobby Portis tradeup to $0.1M
Absorbs one incoming contract up to this amount with no salary matching. Expires Jun 22, 2027.
A trade exception is a credit from an earlier trade, not money on the books, so it does not count toward the cap, tax, or apron. On file as of Sep 15, 2026; may not be complete.
Decisions ahead
Option calls before 2027-28
Kel'el Ware $7.1M team option, Kasparas Jakučionis $4.0M team option, Ryan Rollins $4.0M player option, Pete Nance $2.8M team option.
Expiring after 2026-27
Tyler Herro $33.0M, Kyle Kuzma $20.5M, Caris LeVert $14.8M, Jaime Jaquez Jr. $5.9M, Kevin Porter Jr. $5.4M, Jericho Sims $2.8M, Andre Jackson Jr. $2.4M come off the books.
Front office
Run the Bucks offseason
Take these exact books into the GM Machine and re-sign, sign, waive, stretch, and draft, with every cap rule checked and explained as you go.
Draft picks through 2033
The Bucks control 9 first-round and 4 second-round picks, 2 carrying swap rights.
2026
2026 1st (via MIA) · No. 13
Miami's own first conveyed to Milwaukee at pick 13, in the June 2026 Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
2026 1st (own) · No. 10
Milwaukee keeps its own first at pick 10. Atlanta took the more favorable of the Milwaukee and New Orleans 2026 firsts, which resolved to the New Orleans slot, so Milwaukee's own pick stayed put.
Their own 2nd, owed to BOS · No. 40
Milwaukee's own second conveyed to Boston at pick 40, routed via Orlando.
2027
2027 2nd (via DET) · Projected
Sent from DET to MIL in a reported trade on 2026-07-13, pending the ledger update.
2027 2nd (own)
Milwaukee's own second returned to Milwaukee in the July 2026 six-team trade after earlier routing to Philadelphia and Detroit; Detroit holds no residual claim.
Their own 1st, owed to ATL
Atlanta receives the less favorable of the New Orleans and Milwaukee 2027 firsts, top-4 protected; New Orleans keeps the more favorable on its own slot. From the 2020 Jrue Holiday trade and the Dejounte Murray obligation.
2028
2028 1st (own, swap rights attached)Stepien-locked
POR holds swap rights from the September 2023 Damian Lillard trade; Washington holds a second-priority swap behind Portland. One mirror reports the Portland right as protected 15-30 conditional on Portland not having conveyed a first to Chicago by 2027, rather than fully unprotected.
Their own 2nd, owed to PHI
Philadelphia acquired both the Milwaukee and Oklahoma City 2028 seconds in the February 2026 Jared McCain trade; since the July 2026 Jaylen Brown trade, Boston takes the most favorable of the Golden State, Milwaukee, and Oklahoma City seconds and Philadelphia keeps the two least favorable, so Milwaukee's slot lands with Philadelphia or Boston.
2029
Their own 1st, owed to POR
Portland keeps the most and least favorable of its own, Boston's, and Milwaukee's 2029 firsts and Washington receives the second most favorable; Milwaukee's first conveys to Washington only if it is the middle pick, otherwise to Portland. From the September 2023 Damian Lillard trade and the July 2024 Deni Avdija trade.
Their own 2nd, owed to DET
Detroit takes the two most favorable of the Detroit, New York, and Milwaukee 2029 seconds and Chicago the least favorable; Milwaukee's second conveys to Detroit unless it is the least favorable of the three. From the July 2026 six-team trade.
2030
2030 1st (own, swap rights attached)Stepien-locked
POR holds unprotected swap rights from the September 2023 Damian Lillard trade. Milwaukee separately holds the right to swap this first for Miami's 2030 first, from the June 2026 Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
Their own 2nd, owed to ORL
Unprotected second owed to Orlando, sent for pick 36 in the 2023 draft.
2031
2031 1st (via MIA)
Owed to Milwaukee, unprotected, in the June 2026 Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
2031 1st (own)
Their own 2nd, owed to CHA
Owed to Charlotte from the Pat Connaughton (Vasilije Micic) deal.
2032
2032 1st (own)
Their own 2nd, owed to CHA
Owed to Charlotte from the Pat Connaughton deal.
2033
2033 1st (via MIA)
Miami's own first owed to Milwaukee, unprotected, in the July 2026 Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
2033 1st (own)
2033 2nd (via MIA)
Miami's own second owed to Milwaukee in the July 2026 Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
2033 2nd (own)
Protections and swap conditions in plain English. Full story on the Bucks draft picks page.
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