A forgotten precursor to the slew of stars’ torn Achilles in the playoffs, Milwaukee Bucks erstwhile reserve Thanasis Antetokounmpo suffered the same injury before last season even started. The free agent forward spent the entire year sidelined, occasionally appearing at Bucks games to cheer on his brother Giannis, just like old times. Now that he’s healthy, NBA insider Marc Stein reports, it appears big bro is about to be back in town.
Milwaukee Bucks Roster Is Getting Crowded
After their series of offseason moves, the Bucks have just two projected roster spots remaining for the 15-man regular season unit. One of those, Andre Jackson Jr.’s, could be cleared if the team trades or waives him, but everyone else in the top 13 is more or less set in stone. Milwaukee may want to keep a spot open for one last free agent, probably a point guard or small forward. An additional spot would accommodate someone from the Summer League squad, a Jamaree Bouyea or Mark Sears, for example.
Somehow, there is already scant space to spare, but the team reportedly plans to roster a popular reserve at the expense of an extra young player.
The Milwaukee Bucks are expected to re-sign Thanasis Antetokounmpo if Giannis stays, per @TheSteinLine
“The Bucks, meanwhile, remain on the hunt for backcourt help (updates below!) and are expected to re-sign Antetokounmpo’s brother Thanasis if their superstar indeed remains in… pic.twitter.com/oyZNU6TcN8
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 12, 2025
For those hoping the team would continue to trend younger, giving a chance to youthful talent, this is a disappointing update from the perspective of cold business acumen. In his years with the Bucks, Thanasis was never a big contributor, at least not in the box score.
At the same time, Giannis obviously enjoys having him on the team. His brother does boost the bench vibes. If the Bucks commit to another win-now season, as the Myles Turner signing strongly suggests they will, young players probably won’t have much chance to grow if they can’t yet contribute to winning basketball.
That notion might contradict the new emphasis on developing youth, but when it comes to prospects, fans probably won’t see much philosophical change in practice. Point guard could be an exception if the Bucks fail to sign a veteran free agent. Elsewhere, though, the roster has enough depth, either in the form of pieces they actually like or guys who at least have experience, like Jackson, that rookies shouldn’t expect favorable odds for playing time.
On top of that, Coach Doc Rivers is notoriously resistant to giving youngsters the reins.
Because of this, using a roster spot on Thanasis may not actually cost Milwaukee much. If it makes Giannis happy, re-signing his brother is all but non-negotiable.
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