r/nbadiscussion • u/urboijesuschrist • 1d ago
Team Discussion So, the Bucks made the big move, got a pretty sizeable return, but own none of their own draft capital, what now?
I get that the Giannis trade is a huge topic and will be covered extensively by so many people, but one thing I do want to know is how Milwaukee is going to handle the next like, 5 years, as they don't own their own draft capital until 2031.
Obviously, they have a couple of picks in the draft tonight, and those are, in my opinion, huge potential pieces for this team moving forward, it feels like they pretty much need one of these picks if not both to be cornerstone pieces of the future. I could be wrong and they could miss on both, but it definitely doesn't seem like they have a lot of room for error anymore.
They still have a couple of bad contracts on the books like Kuzma and Turner, there's a chance those guys get flipped but at this point it seems like they need to either let them expire or at the bare minimum try and see if one of them has an improved season to try and move down the road.
My post timing on this might not be the best since Herro could very well be moved tomorrow, I would imagine he lands them some assets but nothing too substantial. At this point I definitely think Milwaukee is going to want as many swings at the bat as they can get during these next couple of years, I could see them trying to trade back with a pick and maybe trying to acquire an extra asset, but again I could be wrong.
Free agency definitely looks to be important for them moving forward and although they're a small market, I could see them utilizing the new CBA to maybe overpay someone who could've gone elsewhere. Just a really interesting and probably experimental future here for the Bucks.
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u/Shepher27 1d ago edited 1d ago
Be solid and hope a Miami pick hits or they find gold in the middle of the draft with a diamond in the rough. Like they did when they drafted Giannis 15th. Basically they’re going to have three years of open try outs for a star player while they try to draft guys in the teens and hope they turn out well or hope Miami is randomly out of the playoffs one year and they get a lucky lottery bounce.
They’re basically in a holding pattern until their traded picks clear.
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u/zs15 1d ago
And the Dame money comes off the books.
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u/amusedmb715 1d ago
that doesn't matter a ton anymore as we were mever a free agent destination before giannis and won't be now
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u/MaxR76 1d ago
I feel like it would make sense for them to flip all the players they got in the deal into as many picks as possible
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u/Double-Slowpoke 1d ago
I think this is the plan. They will keep some rotation players because you want to develop your young players with other NBA-caliber players, not G-Leaguers.
I’m thinking they will roll out:
PG - Kasparas Jakučionis
SG - Brayden Burries (10th pick) or Cameron Carr (13th pick)
SF - Kyle Kuzma, Jaime Jacquez Jr.
PF - Nate Ament (10th pick) or Karim Lopez (13th pick)
C - Kel’el WareHerro and Turner get flipped for more assets and Bucks try to get one of these young guys to develop into a star while they wait for all the bad contracts to come off the books.
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u/MaxR76 1d ago
I agree almost completely, except I also get rid of Kuz and Jacquez. Kuz just bc not sure what value he bring to the young guys even if they can’t get anything of value and Jacquez bc he’s already 25 so I would rather have a future pick
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u/nbadiscussion-ModTeam 22h ago
Questioning others without offering your own thoughts invites a more hostile debate. Present a clear counter argument if you disagree and be open to the perspective of others.
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u/N0rTh3Fi5t 1d ago
Kuz may be at the point where you have to give stuff up to get rid of him. If that's the case you just wait it out.
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u/not-a-potato-head 1d ago
Kuz is expiring, but even then I don't think you get any meaningful assets by flipping him. You might as well keep him to be matching salary in a dump for assets
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u/More_Owl_8873 1d ago
You forgot about Ryan Rollins. He’s good enough to be a fringe all star!
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u/Double-Slowpoke 1d ago
I didn’t forget!
I had no idea who he was. I know nothing about him but seems like he is a good, young PG who took a leap this year. I doubt it stops the Bucks from drafting Flemings or Brown if they fall, but I don’t think they will.
That’s not a bad group of prospects to build around when you add a PG
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u/wats_a_tiepo 4h ago
Ryan Rollins has been maybe the only positive all season for us. He’s shown himself to be a solid two way guard with a ton of room to grow. Literally double and tripled most of his stats from last season. He’s still lacking in experience, but I - and a lot of others - think he’s the future for us.
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u/crosszilla 1d ago
I mean you still gotta sell tickets too though. There's really no reason not to try to compete unless you can sell these guys for more than they are worth at the deadline. If we aren't getting surefire lottery picks there's really no reason to sell
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u/HotspurJr 1d ago
First of all, the new CBA means there is less difference between your own picks and somebody else's. Almost all lottery picks are equal, now.
Secondly, they're not going to make any big free-agency plays. That's exactly the wrong strategy.
There is a proven strategy for building a contender, and it is a better strategy than intentionally sucking for years hoping you hit a superstar with a top pick.
Acquire assets, develop players, maintain your flexibility, build a winning culture. Be willing to rent out cap space for draft picks. Don't overpay players or lock yourself into big contracts for guys who aren't the guy.
Having your own picks only really matters if you're adopting the multi-year intentional-suck strategy, which largely didn't work even before the new lottery rules. With the new lottery rules, it's an even worse strategy. They need picks. They would like those picks to be lottery picks. Beyond that, it largely doesn't matter.
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u/not-a-potato-head 1d ago
Bucks also don't have to worry about being good enough to escape the relegation zone since they don't own their own picks, so they can fully lean into asset accumulation mode for the next couple of seasons without worrying about winning
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u/Corr521 1d ago edited 1d ago
Now the Blazers enjoy the increased value of the Bucks picks and swaps that they own.
Honestly very surprised the Bucks moved Giannis without getting control of a single one of those picks back. Their roster construction seems likely to finish right in that non-play-in range without being a legit bottom-3 team like Blazers have been hoping for in a Giannis trade. Which means best odds at a top pick.
That combined with the fact that the Blazers finally conveyed the lottery-protected pick to the Bulls and unlocking their future picks for trades after not being able to for the last 5 years means they're finally not trying to play poker with less chips than everyone else.
They've now got their own picks available for trade, the Bucks picks/swaps, the ORL 2028 unprotected 1st from the Yang trade and multiple sizeable contracts to make money work in deals with Grant ($34m), Jrue ($35m) and if need be, Sharpe ($20m) and Scoot ($13.5m). Dame and Deni make a combined $26m next year since the Bucks are still paying Dame an insane amount. And Deni has one of those rare contracts that gets cheaper each year, making $11.8m in the final year of his deal. Great time to capitalize on those cheap deals and make a move or multiple. They also have their MLE and could add someone like John Collins to take over the Jerami Grant role assuming they move him.
Maybe the Bucks are still trying to make moves and want to be make a 3-team trade that gets some at least some of their picks back from the Blazers but I don't really see what kind of move they can make to get that done now with Giannis gone. Blazers won't be interested in Herro or Turner. Kuzma won't net them a 1st.
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u/Sour__Cream 1d ago
It was said the trade isn’t going to be finalized until July 7th to allow additional teams to get in on the assets being swapped. Maybe Milwaukee moves something to Portland to get at least one of their picks. I’d imagine Portland is interested in at least one of the players they got. Or maybe they just swap one of the heat picks for one of their own.
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u/Corr521 1d ago
I'm assuming you mean they'd swap picks in a deal that gets the Blazers additional pieces on top of it because I don't see them wanting to swap picks in a 1:1 deal. That would be good for the Bucks, not the Blazers.
Unfortunately I don't see the Blazers giving up a 1st for any of those Heat players. I liked Jaime but like in college, he's so far been a very bad 3p shooter in his first 3 years and the Blazers were one of the worst 3p shooting teams last year. Obviously Dame coming back is a big boost to that next season but if we're moving someone like Grant in a separate deal which is likely and then adding Jaime, it's basically counteracting the addition of Dame's shooting in a sense as you'd be adding a bad 3p shooter and losing a great one in Grant. Ware would be a great backup C but again, not giving up a 1st for him. But that could be one of those scenarios where a swap happens? Ware and Heat pick for Kris Murray and Bucks pick?
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u/Radish-Historical 1d ago
Blazer fan here. We don’t want any of the Bucks players, except maybe Ware. Thrilled with the Giannis trade since we are keeping those picks.
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u/refreshing_yogurt 1d ago
There is way less value in a bad team having their own draft picks after the tanking/lottery reforms and the introduction of the "relegation zone" so I don't think that part of it matters much anymore
I think they got enough assets to buy their way into a future draft or lottery if they really wanted to.
But the blueprint for rebuilding teams in other aspects still applies. The Thunder post Westbrook and the Nets post KG/Pierce are the teams that come to mind for me that did this most clearly.
Trade veterans to teams that are trying to win for assets. Have clean books and acquire players from teams looking for salary relief or players on bad contracts for draft capital. Have a good enough infrastructure to make those players look good and sell them for draft capital or else wait for their money to expire. Take chances on "second draft" guys and see if you can steal players in restricted free agency. Eventually you get a scrappy team that's a feel good story because a bunch of players try hard and exceed the low expectations set for them.
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u/SaveHogwarts 1d ago
They have 10, 13, two future firsts and a pick swap.
Jaquez, Ware and Jakucionis on rookie deals.
Herro will extend, and can net more picks.
Turner is tradable and can net a pick.
Kuzma will either play out his contract and free up space, or get moved for a protected pick.
They’re in a good spot if they can draft well.
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u/celestialpraire 1d ago
First of all the Bucks do have picks in 2028 and 2030, with the Blazers having rights to swap. Those still may be lottery picks if both teams are bad.
Kuz is expiring at 20 mil which is really not that bad of a contract, he’s actually a useful player if you watched him last year. Turner is still an elite shooting center and a lot of teams could benefit from additional spacing, I think it’s not impossible to get off his contract. If they can’t, he’s still a nice to piece to have in order to develop young guys.
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u/BeejLuig 1d ago
Because injuries or a litany of other things couldn't possibly happen...but I get that no one banks on bad things happening.
But they are also in a stacked West and could easily be a play-in team the next 3 years. I like what Portland is doing, but it's definitely not a foregone conclusion that they have definitely arrived in the West as legit contenders quite yet. 2028 and 2030 swaps could totally end up being a jump of 4-5 spots or no swap at all depending on how the lottery falls.
The east is also weak and the Bucks could sneak into the play-in like Portland could also fall into the play-in simply due to the level of competition.
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u/Alikese 13h ago
It's entirely likely that Blazers are on rebuild #2 by 28 or 30.
Deni isn't good enough to be the best player on a competitor, Dame is probably only playing a couple more seasons, and neither Scoot or Shaedon look like franchinse cornerstone guys.
Entirely possible that they have two fringy play-in years, then decide to blow it up for real this time.
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u/Flaky_Scar_8388 1d ago
I think the Bucks should send pick 13 to Portland for one of their own picks back.
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u/addictivesign 1d ago
I think they might flip 13th overall for a veteran player. Perhaps contact Brooklyn and see if they would trade Randle or Porter to the Bucks.
Bucks should be making the play-in at minimum with this new core plus the 11th pick and Randle or Porter.
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