The Milwaukee Bucks will exercise their rookie-scale options on offseason acquisitions Kel'el Ware and Kasparas Jakučionis, according to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto.
Ware, a 22-year-old seven-footer acquired in the trade that sent Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat, has played solely in a reserve role for the Bucks to begin the season, averaging a career-high 13.8 PPG to go along with 8.7 RPG and 1.5 stocks (steals plus blocks). But for all his talent and flashes of brilliance, Ware has continued to show the motor and decision-making issues that marred his first two years in the league, leading to career lows in shooting (46.8% overall, 26.1% from three) and minutes (19.7 MPG), despite Myles Turner's struggles and the Bucks' lack of size in the frontcourt.
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Jakučionis, also acquired in the Giannis trade—and by all accounts a must-have component of it—has arguably been one of Milwaukee's brightest spots
to start the season. Quickly emerging as a Taylor Jenkins favourite, the 6'5" Lithuanian point guard has become the team's sixth man and earned enough trust to feature in many of the team's closing lineups too. So far, the 20-year-old is averaging career highs across the board, including points (8.3 PPG), rebounds (2.8 RPG), assists (4.0 APG), and minutes (22.5 MPG). However, like many of his teammates, he's struggled shooting from distance, hitting just 23.5% of his three-point attempts, down from 42.3% last season.
On-court production aside, Ware and Jakučionis figure to be key parts of the Bucks' present and
future, so seeing their rookie-scale options picked up is a positive sign. As per Scotto's reporting, Ware's option for the 2027-28 season comes in at $7.14m while Jakučionis' is for $4.02m.
Here's hoping the pair continue to grow as the season progresses.
