Worst in the NBA? Post-Giannis Bucks shaded in early power ranking

It's officially at that point of the NBA offseason where people have already begun to predict which teams will be at the top and bottom of the league. And that's what CBSSports.com has already done, even though there may still moves to be made by many NBA teams, including Milwaukee -- on top of the many already made.

Of course, Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded from the Bucks to the Miami Heat, Jaylen Brown will join the Philadelphia 76ers after being traded from the Boston Celtics, Ja Morant will get a fresh start in Portland after he was traded by the Memphis Grizzlies to the Trailblazers and LaMelo Ball is Anthony Edwards newest teammate in Minnesota after the Charlotte Hornets decided to trade him to the Timberwolves.

On top of the big time trades, here are still important free agents such as LeBron James, James Harden, Jalen Duren and DeMar DeRozan waiting to make a decision to see where they will play for the 2026-27 season.

More moves are bound to be made over the as the offseason continues, but with rosters slowly starting to come together, predictions for next season approach.

Brad Botkin of CBS Sports released his Too-early NBA Power Rankings on Monday with a few teams highlighting the rankings.

The NBA Finals runner-ups in the San Antonio Spurs take the No. 1 spot and the champions in the New York Knicks follow right behind them at No. 2.

There are some other notable teams high in the rankings such as the Oklahoma City Thunder rank at No. 3, the Timberwolves at No.6 and the Lakers at No. 9.

But for Milwaukee fans, you'll need to scroll for a while before you see your favorite team ranked. Actually, just scroll to the end of the page and right at No. 30, you will find the Bucks.

Botkin ranked Milwaukee as the worst team in the NBA heading into next season and explained why they're at the bottom.

CBS Sports officially ranked the Milwaukee Bucks 30th in their “Too-Early NBA Power Rankings.”

Writing us off already? This team is going to shock a lot of people.

Where do you realistically rank the Bucks?👇 pic.twitter.com/rs1UKyVjWt
— SleeperBucks (@SleeperBucksNBA) July 17, 2026

"Milwaukee is the latest cautionary tale for all teams unwilling to get ahead of an inevitable superstar trade," Botkin said. "If it's going to happen, do it early. By waiting, the Bucks got back just a so-so package from Miami for Giannis Antetokounmpo. And they're still paying Myles Turner, who was brought aboard specifically to serve the delusional dream of keeping Giannis, and Damian Lillard, who now plays for the Blazers largely on Milwaukee's dime."

He didn't sound too confident in the Bucks, and believed that Milwaukee can only hope to be just a regular bad team.

"We'll see if Milwaukee keeps Tyler Herro," Botkin said. "Again, the lottery reform changes everything. Nobody wants to bottom out. They just want to be a regular bad team. With names like Jaime Jaquez Jr., Turner, Herro, rookies Nate Ament and Brayden Burries (their big offseason scores, but obviously not to make a huge difference this year), Kasparas Jakucionis, Caris LeVert and Kyle Kuzma, Milwaukee can only hope to be a regular bad team."

I understand that Milwaukee without Antetokounmpo is an entirely different and worse team, but to rank them at No. 30 I think is a little premature.

No one can replace the dominance and production of Antetokounmpo, he's one of the greats for a reason, but the Bucks roster on paper is not the worst. Milwaukee has depth and solid players such as Herro, Jaquez, Ryan Rollins, Kel'el Ware and Turner and Kyle Kuzma if the Bucks choose to keep them for next season.

Herro averaged over 20 points per game over the last five seasons, Jaquez finished second in the Sixth Man of the Year race, Rollins is coming off a career year after averaging 17.3 points per game on 47.2% shooting from the field and 40.6% from the 3-point.

Ware has improved over the last two years and having the veteran presence of Kuzma and Turner can go a long way if they're on the roster for a young team.

Rookies in Burries and Ament have showed promise during the Summer League, and Jakucionis who's looking to jump into a larger role with Milwaukee. The Bucks also have a new head coach in Taylor Jenkins who has a track record of developing young players quickly.

When comparing with other teams ranked at the bottom such as, the Brooklyn Nets, Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans, I don't the Bucks are as nearly as bad.

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