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The Milwaukee Bucks and general manager Jon Horst have agreed to a multiyear contract extension, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
Horst, the organization's GM since 2017, was responsible for constructing Milwaukee's championship roster in 2021. Under his leadership, the Bucks have been one of the most successful teams in the league. A new deal was reached between Horst and ownership late Wednesday night.
Since the 2019 NBA Executive of the Year was set to see his contract expire soon, the Bucks decided it was in the best interest of the franchise to come to terms on a new deal now rather than wait until the offseason when competitors could attempt to lure Horst away.
In addition to hiring Mike Budenholzer in 2018, Horst was the one who made it a point of emphasis to add winning veterans like Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday to compete for a championship. After winning the 2021 NBA Finals, Horst has been responsible for replacing Budenholzer with Doc Rivers, as well as pulling off the Damian Lillard trade in 2023.
In addition to making the playoffs in all eight of his seasons leading the front office, the Bucks have also won roughly 65 percent of their regular-season games under Horst. This is the second-best win percentage in the league during this span.
The Bucks general manager received a lot of heat for trading Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma earlier this season, yet his main goal has always been to put his team in a position to win more championships with Giannis Antetokounmpo. That is why the Bucks pulled off the big Lillard trade in 2023 and why Horst remains aggressive today in terms of roster construction.
Of course, Horst's extension comes at an awkward time, as Milwaukee is currently trailing the Indiana Pacers 2-0 in their first-round series. This has led to countless trade rumors involving Giannis, given the team's constant playoff struggles following their championship in 2021.
While Antetokounmpo signed a three-year, $175 million extension in 2023, a deal that keeps him under contract in Milwaukee through the 2027-28 season, many are beginning to question the two-time MVP's patience with his current franchise.
Giannis has remained loyal to the Bucks and hasn't given any indications that he wants to leave, but Antetokounmpo has signaled multiple times that he wants to win in the postseason. Since their championship run in 2021, the Bucks have lost 13 of 25 playoff games, including this season. Milwaukee has not won a playoff series since 2022.
The Bucks finished the 2024-25 regular season with a 48-34 record, claiming the 5-seed in the Eastern Conference.
