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The Milwaukee Bucks arrived in Las Vegas with more questions than answers. An offseason defined by financial, emotional, and structural chaos had left their fanbase unsure of what to expect. Yet, in the midst of that uncertainty, an unlikely figure emerged from the desert. Undrafted forward Pete Nance, a player who barely registered on most scouting reports, became the rare stabilizing presence in a week that otherwise exposed how far the Bucks still have to go. Sure, his name, especially as an undrafted player from 2023, doesn’t carry the flash of a first-round pick. However, his game might just be the exact kind of glue the Bucks need to make this strange new era work.
A Desperate, Risk-Laden Offseason
Driven by pure desperation, Milwaukee made the stunning decision to waive and stretch Damian Lillard’s contract. That's a move that will saddle them with $22.5 million in dead money annually for the next five years. The immediate payoff? Signing Myles Turner.
Turner is an excellent on-paper fit next to Giannis Antetokounmpo, who, at least for now, remains committed to Milwaukee. And he had better stay, too. That's because there’s no universe where the Bucks gamble away their future with this kind of financial hit if they believed he was headed for the exit.
Around that seismic change, Milwaukee held onto much of its supporting cast. Ryan Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr, Gary Trent Jr, Jericho Sims and Taurean Prince all re-signed at bargain numbers. They collectively cost less than $20 million for 2025-26. Gary Harris was brought in on a minimum deal, a classic low-risk flyer. Bobby Portis also locked in with a new three-year, $44 million contract. That figure would have been bigger had more teams had cap space this summer.
The end result? The roster looks very familiar, with Turner as the one significant change. That swap might make them slightly better than last year’s group with a healthy Lillard. However, the financial fallout from stretching Dame hangs over everything.
If this team were a true title favorite, maybe the cost would be justifiable. Instead, Milwaukee has handcuffed itself for years to come. It's all for a roster that still projects as something short of a top-four contender in the East.
Here we will look at and discuss the undrafted Milwaukee Bucks 2025 Summer League player who could make roster.
Pete Nance: The Summer League Revelation
Chris Livingston may have led the scoring and Jamaree Bouyea supplied the highlights, but it was Pete Nance who quietly stole the show for Milwaukee in the 2025 Summer League. Possession by possession, he was the Bucks’ most complete and dependable player. That was not because of gaudy numbers or flashy plays. Rather it was because everything he did translated directly to winning basketball.
The biggest revelation was Nance’s shooting stroke. He connected on 40.9 percent of his threes in Las Vegas. Nance flashed the kind of floor-spacing ability teams dream about from a modern big. During his 13 combined games with Milwaukee and Philadelphia last season, he hit 37.5 percent from deep, proving the skill is real. Since Brook Lopez’s departure, the Bucks have sorely missed a big who can step out, stretch defenses, and punish teams in pick-and-pop sets. Nance could fill that void, and even adds the threat of trailing threes in transition.
Defensively, he was every bit as sharp. Nance averaged 2.2 blocks per game while showing an advanced feel for help rotations and contesting shots without fouling. Just as important, he demonstrated the mobility to switch onto smaller guards and hold his ground. That's exactly the kind of versatility Milwaukee needs to support aging wings and a defense that now leans more heavily on speed and communication than brute size.
Skills That Translate
What makes Nance stand out isn’t just a single skill. It’s the completeness of his game. His screening and high-post passing were crisp and reliable. That allowed the Bucks to run offense through him in spurts. He makes quick reads, moves the ball without hesitation, and rarely forces the issue. For a team built around Giannis, Nance fits like a glove.
Milwaukee’s frontcourt is already crowded with Giannis, Turner, and Portis all slated for heavy minutes. That could be seen as a roadblock for Nance. Still, it also underscores why the Bucks should be desperate to keep him. Injuries happen, rest days happen, and having a big who can plug in seamlessly without requiring a total rework of the offense has immense value over the course of an 82-game season.
Why the Bucks Can’t Afford to Let Him Go
The Bucks, for all their veteran talent, are a team built on razor-thin margins. They don’t have the cap space to chase difference-makers. They also can’t rely on draft picks to fill gaps because of the picks they sacrificed over the past few years. Players like Nance are their best shot at bridging that gap.
This isn’t a case of a fan favorite who lit up Summer League and then disappeared when the lights got bright. Everything Nance did in Las Vegas is directly applicable to NBA games. He doesn’t need the ball to make an impact. That is exactly what a team built around Giannis needs from its role players.
The Bucks gambled big this offseason. Whether those moves pay off remains to be seen. However, one small, low-risk, high-reward decision seems obvious: keeping Pete Nance. In a summer defined by desperation, the undrafted forward has quietly given Milwaukee a sliver of hope.
