The Milwaukee Bucks were one of the most aggressive teams last offseason; coming off an embarrassing first-round exit at the hands of the eight-seed Miami Heat, they went all-out in their pursuit of Damian Lillard, trading away Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen along with a few draft picks to acquire one of the best offensive talents at the position. However, Holiday's departure caused a seismic change for the Bucks; what was a defense-first team suddenly failed to establish an identity.
In the end, the Bucks stumbled through a topsy-turvy 2023-24 season, and injury woes did them in. Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the playoffs due to a calf strain, while Lillard struggled through an Achilles injury. Milwaukee proceeded to lose to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs in six games.
The 2024-25 campaign brings forth the promise of a new beginning. With better continuity and a full offseason under new head coach Doc Rivers, many expect the Bucks to put up a better challenge for the Larry O'Brien trophy in 2025.
But for the Bucks to mount a deep playoff run, they will have to make a few roster upgrades still, as unlikely as it may be given their cap constraints. After all, the other contending teams in the Eastern Conference, such as the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, have already made their moves as they look to play catch-up to the reigning champion Boston Celtics.
Assessing the Bucks roster
The Bucks have already made a few signings to help bolster the team's depth in preparation for next season. With Patrick Beverley and Jae Crowder, two rotation players from last season, no longer on the team, the Bucks signed their replacements in Delon Wright and Taurean Prince.
Wright is a stout guard defender, and at 6'5, he has the size to bother even some wings. The Bucks sorely needed someone who could approximate Jrue Holiday's defensive impact, and while Wright is not the defender Holiday is, he is not too shabby on that end of the floor. He is a steals magnet; he averaged 1.4 steals to end last season with the Miami Heat and during the 2022-23 campaign, he tallied 1.8 steals a night for the Washington Wizards.
Meanwhile, Prince is a much better shooter than Crowder is; in a reduced role under a dimmer spotlight in Milwaukee, perhaps Prince could rejuvenate his value as one of the better bench wings in the association.
But there remains a glaring lack of a clear-cut starting option at the two for the Bucks. Malik Beasley may not have signed with another team yet, which leaves the door open for a potential return, but it's unclear just how high Milwaukee's interest level is in bringing back the 27-year-old sharpshooter.
The Bucks, at present, have a few options to start at the two, such as Pat Connaughton, MarJon Beauchamp, and even sophomore Andre Jackson Jr. Connaughton's production is in decline, Beauchamp was unable to crack Doc Rivers' rotation, while Jackson, despite being an athletic marvel, may be too raw for a heavy workload. Thus, there is a pressing need to consolidate the talent to get a legitimate starting-caliber shooting guard.
Who could Milwaukee add at shooting guard?
The Bucks can definitely find a way to squeeze under the second tax apron to make pulling off a trade for a shooting guard that much easier. Utilizing Bobby Portis and his $12.6 million contract for next season appears to be the easiest way to get an upgrade, especially when the Bucks have another solid center anyway in Brook Lopez. But Portis is one of the Bucks' most important players, and trading him away will be a difficult pill to swallow.
Thus, expect the Bucks to use Pat Connaughton's $9.4 million contract as the centerpiece of any trade. Adding Connaughton and Beauchamp together would give the Bucks around $12.1 million to work with, which should be enough to acquire the player that would be the team's fifth starter.
The Bucks need someone who can take on the job of guarding the opposing team's best perimeter player, night-in, night-out. To that end, Terance Mann and Matisse Thybulle could be at the top of the Bucks' wishlist.
Amid the Los Angeles Clippers' guard logjam, could Mann end up being attainable in a trade? Mann has been held in high regard by the Clippers front office, with the team holding him out of James Harden trade talks last year. But the Clippers now have Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn, potentially making Mann redundant.
Meanwhile, Thybulle is a defensive specialist with experience playing under Doc Rivers. With the Portland Trail Blazers having acquired Deni Avdija, the 27-year-old Australian international could be the next go go amid their ongoing rebuild.
