Why the Bucks Are Smart to Keep Kel’el Ware and Kasparas Jakučionis

The Milwaukee Bucks are making a sensible investment by keeping Kel’el Ware and Kasparas Jakučionis under contract for the 2027-28 season.

HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported that Milwaukee would exercise Ware’s $7.14 million rookie-scale team option and Jakučionis’ $4.02 million option. The combined commitment comes to approximately $11.16 million.

For the Bucks, the benefit is having another season to evaluate two young players at established salaries. They can continue assessing both players’ progress before deciding whether a larger investment makes sense.

Neither player needs to have every part of his game settled for the decision to be worthwhile. Milwaukee is buying more time to determine how much responsibility each can handle and where he fits in the team’s plans.

Evaluating young players requires more than reacting to a productive week or a difficult stretch.

Early success can show what a player is capable of without proving he can sustain it. Mistakes can expose weaknesses without establishing that those weaknesses are permanent.

Keeping Ware and Jakučionis allows Milwaukee to continue that evaluation through different opponents, assignments and stages of the season.

The questions should become more demanding as they gain experience. Can they execute when an opponent specifically attacks a weakness? Can they recognize a defensive adjustment quickly enough to make the correct play? Can they contribute when their shots are not falling?

Those answers matter more than occasional flashes.

The additional contractual certainty also gives Milwaukee room to be deliberate about development. Coaches can identify responsibilities each player must earn rather than rushing to draw conclusions from a limited sample.

That does not mean overlooking poor play. It means having enough time to distinguish an area that needs work from a limitation that may affect a player’s long-term role.

The salaries make the decision easier to support.

Milwaukee knows what both players will cost in 2027-28, allowing the front office to account for those commitments while considering the rest of the roster.

If either becomes a dependable rotation contributor, his contract could provide value because the salary was set before that improvement. The Bucks would benefit from the development without immediately paying a new market price.

There is still a cost. Team options commit money and roster space, and retaining a player should come with a reasonable expectation that he can help the organization.

But Milwaukee does not need both players to become stars for these decisions to work. Reliable contributions in defined roles would offer a useful return.

The next step is keeping expectations clear. Contract security should not guarantee playing time, and development should include accountability for defensive mistakes, careless possessions and inconsistent execution.

Ware and Jakučionis now have an opportunity to turn Milwaukee’s investment into a stronger case for their futures with the team.

For the Bucks, exercising the options preserves that opportunity at a manageable price. They retain two young players and another season to decide how much more to build around them.