Less than two weeks after the Los Angeles Clippers waived him, second-year forward Johni Broome has a new NBA address. The Milwaukee Bucks have announced that they have signed the former Auburn standout, giving the 24-year-old another chance to stick after a quiet and injury-interrupted rookie year.
Broome, who turned 24 in September, was the 35th overall pick in the 2025 draft. He appeared in only 11 games for the Philadelphia 76ers, logging 55 minutes and finishing with 10 points and 16 rebounds on 4-of-24 shooting.
Most of his first professional season was spent with the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s G League affiliate. In 26 games there he averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 32.8 minutes, production that suggested the size and skill that had made him a late first-round pick were still intact.
That G League run ended early. In late February he underwent a partial meniscectomy to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee.
He made it back for the playoffs, but only for garbage-time minutes in a pair of blowout losses to the New York Knicks in the second round.
The Sixers, facing a salary-cap crunch, later moved him to Los Angeles with a second-round pick in a cost-cutting deal. The Clippers then waived him.
Because his 2026-27 salary of $2.15 million was fully guaranteed, Los Angeles remains on the hook for that money even after the release.
Milwaukee’s agreement is widely expected to be non-guaranteed. If it carries Exhibit 10 language, the Bucks could convert it to a two-way contract before opening night, and the club currently has an open two-way slot.
If Broome is waived before the regular season, he could still become an affiliate player for the Wisconsin Herd.
In that case, he would be eligible for a bonus of up to $91,000 on top of his standard G League salary, provided he spends at least 60 days with the affiliate.
To clear a spot on their 21-man preseason roster, the Bucks waived big man John Butler Jr.
Butler played for Milwaukee’s Summer League team in July and is expected to join the Herd this fall. He had been on an Exhibit 10 deal that included the full $91,000 bonus.
For Broome, the move is less a guaranteed role than another runway. The scoring and rebounding he showed in Delaware remain the best evidence that he can contribute, but the knee surgery, the thin NBA sample, and the short window before opening night mean Milwaukee is buying an option, not a finished player.
Whether that option becomes a two-way deal, a Herd assignment, or a brief camp stay will depend on how he looks once the preseason games begin.
