
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 07: Pete Nance #35 of the Milwaukee Bucks defends the ball from E.J. Liddell #9 of the Brooklyn Nets during the second quarter at Barclays Center on April 07, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Pamela Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images Jack Trehearne Tue, October 20, 2026 at 4:40 AM UTC · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After a nervous few days in which the Bucks waived Pete Nance from the non-guaranteed deal they signed him to in July to cut their official roster to 16—and then waived Kevin Porter Jr. yesterday to bring it to 15—the team announced that Nance has indeed signed another two-way contract to return to Milwaukee for a third season. This will be the 26-year-old's final season of two-way eligibility.
Why was it a nervous few days? Well, as we wrote in the latest edition of Heard 'em Say , by waiving Nance, the Bucks reportedly risked the very real possibility of another team snapping him up on a standard contract—something Milwaukee couldn't realistically offer without taking a significant financial hit. Remember, the Bucks were already going to have to eat one standard contract—which ended up being KPJ's $5.39m deal—and it seems clear they didn't want to eat two. Cutting Nance was always going to be the "easy way out" because, as I mentioned, his standard contract was non-guaranteed; however, doing so carried risk, as Nance's ability has clearly broken into the mainstream.
Make no mistake: while Nance will be on a two-way deal with the Bucks, Jenkins won't treat him like a two-way player . I doubt he'll even play much with the Wisconsin Herd this year; instead, I'd wager guys like Bogoljub Markovic and Nate Ament will spend more time in Oshkosh. Clearly, Horst and his team were shrewd enough to convince Nance to allow them to take advantage of the fact that he had a year of two-way eligibility remaining—which saves them having to sign him to a standard deal to keep him—but conversations were surely had about how that contract does not reflect the plans Horst and Co. have for him, both for this season and in the future. Just don't be putting anything in writing, eh, Jon?
Nance is coming off his best season as a pro, averaging 5.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 1.0 APG, shooting 42.0% from three, in a career-high 15.7 minutes per contest. All three of Milwaukee's two-way contracts are now occupied.
Source: Sports
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