Milwaukee Bucks sign forward Chris Livingston to four-year, $7.7 million deal

The Milwaukee Bucks are signing former UK star Chris Livingston to a four-year, $7.7 million contract, his agents Rich Paul and Brandon Cavanaugh told Shams Charania of The Athletic on Saturday evening. The first two years of the contract are guaranteed. It’s the largest ever total salary for the final pick in the NBA Draft.

For more on Livingston getting drafted by the Bucks and his basketball career–check out the article below from On3’s Barkley Truax.

The Milwaukee Bucks drafted former Kentucky small forward Chris Livingston with the No. 58 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Livingston started 26 games during the 2022-23 season and made 34 appearances as a true freshman. He averaged 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 42.9% from the floor in 22 minutes per contest. One of his biggest claims to fame came against Florida when he had 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds to lead Kentucky to an 82-74 victory.

He came on strong for the Wildcats down the stretch this season, which gained him NBA momentum. Add that to him being a client of Klutch Sports — which saw him cancel all his pre-draft workouts past June 8, likely meaning the forward had received a draft guarantee from an NBA franchise. That has turned out to be the case and is now headed to the NBA.

The former UK forward played his high school basketball at Oak Hill Academy (Ohio), where he was a five-star prospect. He was the No. 16 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Of course, his stats at Kentucky doesn’t scream five-star recruit on paper, and is being drafted as a blank canvas — with some tremendous defensive upside and a blue-chip recruiting background.

What NBA Draft experts are saying about Chris Livingston

The former Kentucky freshman’s build “aligns with the modern NBA,” in the sense that he’s able to guard “slashing jumbo wings and athletic forwards,” as well as on the perimeter and in the paint. His offense is what he’ll need to work on before he can become a regular fixture in the NBA, as he played a minor role in Kentucky’s offense this past season, taking just over five shots per game.

“Livingston has been boosting his draft stock throughout the pre-draft process. A fill-in invite at the NBA Combine, Livingston measured 6-foot-6 with a strong 6-foot-11 wingspan. At 220 pounds, Livingston is a bulky, mismatch forward that could be a defensive chess piece. He was a reliable pick-and-roll defender for Kentucky and limited opponents to 37.5 percent shooting as a primary defender,” his NBA scouting report reads.

The report compares Livingston to Jae’Sean Tate of the Houston Rockets, who is a scrappy defender and serviceable on the offensive end of the court as well.

On3’s Barkley Truax also contributed to this article.