It wasn’t exactly smooth sailing
Bucks may be improved despite shaky offseason
It seems to be the calm after the storm. Following a wild week that included trades – complete and incomplete – the NBA draft and free agency, the Milwaukee Bucks appear to have a roster ready for next season.
Their biggest prize came via trade when they added Jrue Holiday in what ultimately became a four-team deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets. The Bucks announced the completion of the trade Tuesday. Holiday, 30, stands to be an upgrade over Eric Bledsoe at point guard as he offers a more consistent and varied offensive game while bringing similar, elite defensive skills.
Outside of Holiday, the Bucks added D.J. Augustin, Torrey Craig, Bryn Forbes and Bobby Portis via free agency while retaining Pat Connaughton. It’s worth noting, though, that keeping Connaughton was a publicly fraught transaction that went from a reported two-year, $8.3 million deal to a threeyear, $16 million deal with a third-year player option that is widely considered an overpay. Milwaukee also picked up Jordan Nwora and Sam Merril in the draft with pick No. 45 and 60, respectively.
Of course, all of that came against the backdrop of the Bogdan Bogdanovic trade that wasn’t. Last week, the Bucks were reported by ESPN to have had an agreement with the Sacramento
on a sign-and-trade for Bogdanovic. However, the report of that deal was premature at best and incorrect at worst.
As it turns out, there was no deal and Bogdanovic has now signed an offer sheet with the Atlanta Hawks that the Kings have until Tuesday to match. Since that report came more than three days before the opening of free agency – when teams are allowed to talk with players and agents – it led to a league investigation to determine if either side committed a tampering violation.
No matter whether someone connected to the Bucks or Kings leaked the information to ESPN, the situation was a public embarrassment to the Bucks. Instead of solidifying the top end of their roster in a pair of overnight deals for Holiday and Bogdanovic, they had egg on their face and the NBA investigating their activities.
None of that was a good look publicly, especially considering how critical this offseason is for the Bucks. Two-time MVP and reigning defensive player of the year Giannis Antetokounmpo is mulling a supermax extension, something he must decide on by Dec. 21. Any botched opportunities from the organization could be viewed as a negative when it comes to Antetokounmpo’s chances of committing long term.
Regardless of what happened over the past week, if Antetokounmpo decides to re-sign then the offseason will be a rousing success. Securing the franchise cornerstone will ensure the Bucks will be an Eastern Conference contender for as long as he stays in Milwaukee. If Antetokounmpo is in a Bucks uniform, Milwaukee will always be starting from a position of strength.
The Bogdanovic bungling aside, did the moves the Bucks actually make help them become a better team? In the end, that’s what matters most heading into the final guaranteed year of Antetokounmpo’s time in Milwaukee.
Even without Bogdanovic, there are reasons to believe the Bucks are indeed better – and maybe even better off without him.
First of all, Holiday represents an upgrade over Bledsoe at point guard. Both are about the same age and offer elite defense, but Holiday is a more polished offensive player and shooter and a bigger, more versatile defensive presence. He’s proven himself in playoff appearances and will be able to serve as a second or third option on what should be the most talented team he’s played with.
Bledsoe’s struggles in the playoffs were a notable issue for the Bucks over the past three postseasons. He undoubtedly served a purpose and played well during the regular season, but the Bucks are focused on improvement in the postseason.
Holiday, even at the high cost of giving up George Hill, three first-round picks and two pick swaps, should offer a higher level of reliability in the postseason which alone could help push the Bucks over the top. Teams won’t be able to ignore him on the perimeter like Bledsoe, who wasn’t able to make either the Toronto Raptors or Miami Heat pay for leaving him alone during the past two postseasons.
When it comes to the rest of the roster, the Bucks may have found a few silver linings by missing out on Bogdanovic. They retained Donte DiVincenzo – who had been in the reported deal for Bogdanovic – and they also had more to work with to fill out their roster.
It’s worth mentioning that right now, Bogdanovic is likely better than anyone else the Bucks have outside of Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Holiday and Brook Lopez. Adding him would have brought a significant piece and could have created one of the best starting lineups in the league.
Without him, though, the Bucks will have a chance to see how DiVincenzo can develop. DiVincenzo performed well during his first full season last year before struggling in the Orlando bubble and in the playoffs. If he can make further strides in the 2020-21 season, especially with his outside shooting, DiVincenzo can be a serviceable starter or caKings pable bench option at a fraction of Bogdanovic’s salary.
Additionally, if the Bucks had added Bogdanovic they would have had an extremely top-heavy roster in terms of salary. With him on the books, the Bucks would have had $11 million to $13 million with which to fill the final six spots on their roster. In that situation, they may not have been able to sign one or both of Augustin and Portis and could have had trouble filling out their roster.
Without Bogdanovic, the Bucks don’t boast as good of a starting lineup, but their starting unit is in a position to be strong nonetheless with a more solid bench behind it. Augustin, Forbes and Portis – not to mention rookies Nwora and Merrill, who shot well in college – are all capable, veteran three-point shooters who should provide reliable spacing come playoff time. They’re not stalwart defenders like Wesley Matthews was last season – he will definitely be missed – but when flanked by the likes of Antetokounmpo, Lopez, Holiday, Middleton and newly-added defensive specialist Torrey Craig, their liability on defense may be worth their offensive impact.
The Bucks may not have a true, backup center on their roster with Robin Lopez gone, but Portis should be able to fill in some behind Brook Lopez. That could also mean more lineups with Antetokounmpo at the five spot, which could be a fearsome weapon in the right situations.
Even though the Bucks may be done making moves right now, that doesn’t mean their roster won’t change during the season. Connaughton’s contract may be a point of contention among Bucks fans now, but it could net out as a positive if he either improves or his contract helps the Bucks do a deal before the trade deadline. They still have D.J. Wilson’s expiring contract, too, which could also help facilitate a trade later on as they seek additional roster help while maneuvering under the league’s hard cap.
While talking to reporters last Monday ahead of free agency, Bucks general manager Jon Horst made it clear that he and his staff were focused on bringing in players who had the required skill sets to help the Bucks go further in the playoffs. Though the Bucks may not have followed through with their Plan A, their ability to upgrade at point guard with Holiday and pivot to fill out the roster with proven shooters bode well for future playoff series.
There’s no way right now to be sure if the Bucks are better than they were last year.
Milwaukee’s offseason was certainly unconventional and anything but smooth, but with the transactions they made, the Bucks should be in a position to prove themselves when the 2021 playoffs come around.
That’s when the final, most important judgment will be made whether they did enough to truly become a title contender.