The Milwaukee Bucks have done a lot this offseason to build their future and looking ahead the next season with a completely revamped roster highlighted by players like Tyler Harrow, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kel'el Ware, all players that they acquired in their massive return from the Miami Heat for Giannis Antetokounmpo , a new era Milwaukee is firmly beginning.
But now that the Bucks have built their future, they could be looking ahead to securing it, especially when it comes to both Herro and Jaquez Jr., the two highest profile players that they acquired in their trade with Miami.
In a recent report from Spotrac , an unnamed Bucks executive said that the prospect of extending both harrow and Hawkes Junior is near the top of the organization's mind.
"That's something we'll talk about with his reps. We'd love to get something done, provided it makes sense for both Tyler and us," a Bucks front office executive said (via Spotrac). "For Jaime, it's the same thing. He's in a different spot because of restricted free agency. But in an ideal world, you get those things taken care of now. That way everyone can just play the season without the future weighing on them."
Both Herro and Jaquez Jr. are entering the final season of their respective contracts this upcoming season, with Herro set to make $33 million in the final year of a rookie extension that he originally signed with the Heat while Jaquez Jr. is set to make just shy of $6 million after the Heat picked up the second of two team options that were baked into his contract.
Herro was eligible for a three-year extension with the Heat last season, but never received one, so now it falls to the Bucks to do something about it, lest they lose their new superstar just one year after getting him.
This would be a savvy move for a Bucks team that has all but completed the basis of their rebuild and has built a strong foundation to change the direction of the franchise with.
Even if not everything is certain in terms of the Bucks team construction at this point, Jaquez Jr. and Herro are likely to be major parts of anything that the Bucks do do moving forward, so being in a position to lock both down long term is definitely advantageous and allows Milwaukee to avoid any kind of instability next offseason.
A rebuild is about the future and the first season of a rebuild is about finding a fit with the wave of new players that have been brought in. If the Bucks want to start their rebuild the right way and use next season as a chance to figure out everyone's fit, locking down Herro and Jaquez Jr. sooner rather than later lets them fully focus on fitting together going forward to hopefully get Milwaukee back on track.
