Kel’el Ware Contract & Salary
Kel’el Ware is a C for the Milwaukee Bucks, earning $4,654,920 in 2026-27. Contract runs through 2027-28 ($11,790,912 guaranteed). Flagged years: 2027-28 team option.
Updated · 2026–27 season
Kel’el Ware is on the books for $4,654,920 in 2026–27, the 12th largest cap hit on the Milwaukee Bucks roster and 2.8% of the team's $168.3M payroll.
That ranks 275th among the 444 players with a 2026–27 salary on the books, and eats 2.8% of the $165.0M salary cap.
The deal has 2 seasons left on it, running through 2027-28, worth $11,790,912 in guaranteed money.
The money climbs as it goes: $4,654,920 in the first year up to $7,135,992 in the last, a 53% rise across the deal.
Not every year is locked in: 2027-28 team option.
The option year belongs to the team, which makes that season a decision point rather than a commitment: it can be picked up cheaply or declined outright.
At 22, he is still inside the cheap early-career window; this deal runs through his age-23 season, before the expensive years start.
He sits in the bottom third of the roster by salary, the part of the payroll teams use to fill out the depth chart without moving the cap needle.
He is one of 17 players on the Milwaukee Bucks' books for 2026–27, whose 2026–27 salaries add up to $168,320,596.
Milwaukee Bucks sit at $168.3M in payroll and are currently classified Over Cap, with +$13.9M of room below the first apron.
| Season | Salary | % of Cap | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | $4,654,920 | 2.8% | |
| 2027-28 | $7,135,992 | 4.3% | team option |
| 2028-29 | RFA / $21.4M | — | |
| 2029-30 | — | — | |
| 2030-31 | — | — |
| Team Payroll | Cap Space | Tax Room | 1st Apron Room | 2nd Apron Room |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $168.3M | -$25.3M | +$10.1M | +$13.9M | +$26.6M |
| Pos | Player | Age | 2026-27 | % of Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SG | Tyler Herro | 26 | $33,000,000 | 20.0% |
| C | Myles Turner | 30 | $26,584,164 | 16.1% |
| PF | Kyle Kuzma | 31 | $20,490,152 | 12.4% |
| SG | Gary Trent Jr. | 27 | $15,200,000 | 9.2% |
| SG | Caris LeVert | 32 | $14,809,200 | 9.0% |
| SG | AJ Green | 26 | $10,044,644 | 6.1% |
| Rank | Player | Team | 2026-27 | vs Ware |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 273 | Julian Strawther | Denver Nuggets | $4,826,931 | +$172,011 |
| 274 | Bennett Stirtz | Oklahoma City Thunder | $4,717,320 | +$62,400 |
| 276 | Yang Hansen | Portland Trail Blazers | $4,643,520 | -$11,400 |
| 277 | Gui Santos | Golden State Warriors | $4,629,630 | -$25,290 |
| 278 | Josh Minott | Brooklyn Nets | $4,500,000 | -$154,920 |