Bucks’ Tyler Herro not worrying about contract status as he begins new chapter with hometown team

NEW BERLIN, Wis. (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Tyler Herro said Saturday he isn’t dwelling on his contract status and what that means for his future now that he’s joined his hometown team.

Herro, a Milwaukee-area native who graduated from nearby Whitnall High School in Greenfield, came to the Bucks in the trade that sent two-time MVP and nine-time All-NBA forward Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat.

The 26-year-old guard has one year remaining on his contract and could become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 season if he doesn’t get an extension.

“I’m not really worried about it right now,” Herro said while speaking at a youth basketball camp he was hosting. “It’s a new slate for me, for the coaches, really for the organization as a whole. I don’t think that needs to be a burden over anyone’s shoulders.”

Herro’s future has been the subject of speculation ever since news broke in June that he was heading to Milwaukee in the Antetokounmpo trade. The Bucks also acquired Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakučionis and draft capital that included the rights to 2026 No. 13 pick Nate Ament.

Milwaukee’s roster already is heavily tilted to the backcourt.

The Bucks selected another shooting guard in this summer’s draft when they took Arizona’s Brayden Burries with the No. 10 pick. Their top two returning scorers from last season are guards Kevin Porter Jr. (17.4 ppg in 38 games) and Ryan Rollins (17.3 ppg in 74 games).

Herro, who had spent his first seven NBA seasons in Miami, is eager to bounce back from a 2025-26 season in which injuries limited him to just 33 games. Herro has averaged over 20 points each of the last five seasons, and he earned an All-Star selection in 2025.

He joins a franchise in transition after trading away the most impactful player in franchise history. New coach Taylor Jenkins inherits an overhauled roster after the Bucks endured a 32-50 season that snapped a string of nine straight playoff appearances.

“I probably have the biggest chip on my shoulder that I’ve had in my career, coming to Milwaukee,” Herro said. “We’ve been through a lot. Just being able to come here with a new slate, a brand-new team, a brand-new organization, a brand-new coaching staff. … We all have chip on our shoulders. Coach Jenkins himself has a chip on his shoulder, the guys who came in the trade with me. It’s not just about me. I think everyone on the team has a chip.”

That motivation comes from leaguewide pessimism surrounding how this team will fare without Antetokounmpo.

“Obviously there’s going to be people who probably don’t think we’ll win many games, but that’s the opposite of what we’re thinking,” Herro said. “We want to win as many games as possible and really set a culture from day one.”

Herro grew up rooting for the Bucks. As he went down the list of players he grew up admiring, Herro included T.J. Ford, who will be an assistant coach on Jenkins’ staff.

“I remember T.J. Ford, Michael Redd, Andrew Bogut,” Herro said. “I could go all the way down to when we had Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings, then Giannis came. Now we have kind of a new generation here starting off.”

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