Bucks Ink 13th Pick Nate Ament to Rookie-Scale Deal
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Tennessee forward Nate Ament, selected 13th overall in last month’s draft, has signed his rookie-scale contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, according to the NBA.com transactions log.
The draft choice used on Ament was acquired from the Miami Heat in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, which became official when the league’s moratorium ended on Monday. Because Ament was unsigned during the California Summer League, he did not participate with Milwaukee’s entry.
Ament’s lone season with the Volunteers featured shooting struggles—39.9 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc over 35 games—but he still averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steal in 29.7 minutes per contest.
At 6-foot-10 with an advanced perimeter skill set, Ament opened the college season as a projected top-five pick. An ankle and knee injury late in the year, coupled with inconsistent play, pushed him down some draft boards and left scouts split on his long-term outlook. Heading into draft night, the Bucks were considered his “floor” at No. 10, yet they selected Arizona guard Brayden Burries there and still secured Ament three spots later.
League rookie-scale figures place Ament’s first-year salary at a little more than $5.5 million, with the four-year deal totaling nearly $26 million. With his signing, only three first-round picks from the 2026 class remain without contracts, according to Hoops Rumors’ tracker.
Source: Hoops Rumors
