Welcome to another edition of Heard 'em Say
, where we share the Milwaukee Bucks news that matters to you—all in one convenient place! On this week's agenda: what could have been instead of waiving Kevin Porter Jr., a roundup of the Wisconsin Herd's roster, an update on Malik Beasley's sports gambling charges, and Nate Ament reps the Brewers. Oh, and was Jaylen Brown pushing to become a Buck?
Nuggets offered picks for KPJ?
As you're well aware, the Bucks waived
Kevin Porter Jr. just before the 4:00 p.m. CT deadline for NBA teams to finalise their rosters ahead of the regular season starting. The news was a shock, at least to some ( Editor's note: more on that to come
), particular given how well Porter performed when healthy last season. As it turns out, the Bucks didn't have to lose him for nothing. In fact, according to Jake Fischer's report in The People's Insider
, they could've received draft picks in exchange for the 26-year-old. Of course, there's a caveat:
The Stein Line has learned that the Nuggets showed a willingness to package two future second-rounders and a second-round pick swap along with Zeke Nnaji's very available contract in a bid to bring Kevin Porter Jr. to the Rocky Mountains. Yet I'm told that the Bucks ultimately walked away from the Porter-to-Denver discussions as well — and then waived Porter Jr. — because they could not stomach the idea of swallowing Nnaji's $7.5 million salary for the 2027-28 season.
Fischer also reported that five salary cap specialists from rival teams "said they would have made the move if they were in Milwaukee's shoes" but also that "All five capologists say they could understand why the Bucks ultimately chose not to surrender $7.5 million of their theoretical flexibility entering the 2027-28 campaign." All this considered—not to mention the additional opportunities Porter's absence has afforded Kasparas Jakučionis—do you agree with Jon Horst's decision?
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Speaking of Porter, via the Clutch Scoops
podcast
, ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel speculated that while a return to the NBA isn't out of the cards, Porter may even head back to Europe:
Halfway through the year, there's going to be teams needing point guards and needing more backcourt depth. They'll look at Kevin Porter Jr. as an option. But I would just keep an eye on him as also being an option for international teams overseas in Europe. And I expect him to gain interest there. We'll see what he ultimately decides, whether he wants to give up on the NBA and go overseas or if he's going to wait for some of these pro-rated deals after the trade deadline.
As we know, Porter has more than enough talent for NBA basketball, and if it weren't for all his injuries last year he could very well be the Bucks' starting point guard right now
. So, let's hope he gets another shot somewhere.
All the best, Scoot.
Wisconsin Herd roster roundup
After making their pick in the G League Draft last Saturday, the Wisconsin Herd have officially finalized their 15-man training camp roster. The roster is led by two-way players Kam Jones, Pete Nance, and Cormac Ryan.
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Despite trading a 2026 first-rounder to the Capital City Go-Go (the Wizards' G League affiliate), the Herd still walked away with a player after the draft. The Herd selected Brody Fox, a former The Citadel forward coming off a one-year stint in Estonia, with the 49th pick.
Some of the Herd's most recognizable players parted ways with Wisconsin earlier this year. Mark Sears (19.1 ppg) signed an Exhibit-10 deal with Portland, while Wisconsin traded Stephen Thompson (17.4 ppg) to the Iowa Wolves, and Johnny Davis (15.6 ppg) signed with a Turkish team. The Herd went 10-26 last year, good for last in the Eastern Conference, but coach Schuyler Rimmer and the Herd are hoping to improve going into 2027.
The full roster is as follows:
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Ty Berry (guard, Kauhajoki Karhu)
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Johni Broome (forward, Philadelphia 76ers/Delaware Blue Coats)
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Jeremiah Burke (forward, Denver University)
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John Butler Jr. (forward, Wisconsin Herd)
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Brody Fox (forward, Latvijas Universitate)
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Marcus Garrett (guard, Greensboro Swarm)
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Terrence Hargrove Jr. (forward, Grand Rapids Gold)
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Kam Jones (guard, Indiana Pacers/Noblesville Boom)
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Cameron Martin (forward, Wisconsin Herd)
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Pete Nance (forward, Milwaukee Bucks/Wisconsin Herd)
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Manny Obaseki (guard, Westchester Knicks)
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Cameron Parker (guard, Rip City Remix)
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Cormac Ryan (guard, Milwaukee Bucks/Wisconsin Herd)
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Kalifa Sakho (forward, Houston University)
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Jake Stephens (forward, KK Split)
Malik Beasley in talks over possible guilty plea
In June 2025, news broke that former Bucks guard Malik Beasley was under investigation
for betting on NBA games. This
June, Beasley was
indicted on sports gambling charges
, allegedly committing those crimes while with the team. Now, it appears Beasley is pleading guilty, as reported
by Mike Vorkunov from The Athletic:
Beasley was indicted this summer for his role in an alleged scheme that bet on his performance while he was with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2023-24 season. Beasley is accused of manipulating his play so that bettors could win their wagers on him. Beasley initially pleaded not guilty, but court records Friday night said that he intends to change his plea.
Steve Haney, a lawyer for Beasley, said Beasley has not yet decided to plead guilty, but is in talks with prosecutors with the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. He is expected to make a final decision early next week.
In fact, there's no doubt about it:
Yikes.
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Jaylen Brown may or may not have pushed to be traded to Milwaukee
According to Brian Scalabrine, at one point this offseason, Jaylen Brown pushed to be traded to the Milwaukee Bucks:
"My understanding is that Jaylen Brown went to the organization and had a list of demands, and it was like, 'You either do this, or you trade me.' And he was rooting to get traded to Milwaukee, including calling some teammates about, 'Hey, man, what do you think of Milwaukee? We should go there.'"
Then again, according to the same
Brian Scalabrine, that actually didn't happen:
For as good as Brown is, I'm good with how this all played out. What about you?
Nate Ament & the "Brew Crew"
Finally, just in case you missed it, Nate Ament is embracing all things Milwaukee—even with his shoes:
Way to go, Nate. And way to go Brewers!
For more on your World Series champion Brewers, be sure to head on over to our friends at Brew Crew Ball
.
That's it for this edition, folks. Got any Bucks news or rumours? If so, share them in the comments—or perhaps even as an extended post in The Feed
.
