The Milwaukee Bucks Are In More Danger Than We Think

Any team that has Giannis Antetokounmpo should automatically be in a good position, especially considering he’s not even 30 years old yet. Unfortunately, the Bucks have dug themselves into an absolute hole, and right now it’s hard to see a way out.

Jrue Holiday Trade

In 2021, the Milwaukee Bucks came back from down 0-2 in the NBA Finals, to win their first championship since 1971! A key part in their playoff run was the play of Jrue Holiday, who they acquired from New Orleans just after the start of the 2020-21 season. 

In that trade, Milwaukee traded Eric Bledsoe and George Hill, but more importantly, two First-Round Picks (‘25, ‘27) and two Pick Swaps (‘24, ‘26). It’s fair to say that the trade was worth it, as they won the championship, which is the whole point of making a trade like that. 

With the main core of the team still under contract for a while and not being super old, the loss of draft capital wasn’t too big of an issue.

Damian Lillard Trade

Moving forward to the start of the 2023-24 season, the Bucks make a massive deal after being bounced by Miami in the playoffs the season prior. Milwaukee received Damian Lillard in Exchange for Jrue Holiday, an unprotected FRP (‘29), and two pick swaps (‘28, ‘30). 

Originally, this trade was praised heavily by the majority of NBA fans and media, as Damian Lillard had been a consensus top 10-15 player in the league for consecutive years. 

Unfortunately for the Bucks, despite the trade establishing them as title favorites for many, things didn’t exactly go to plan this season. With Giannis injured, the team was ousted from the first round, courtesy of the Indiana Pacers.

What can they do now?

In these two trades alone, Milwaukee has traded three first-round picks and given rights to swap four others. That is SEVEN years in a row they are highly unlikely to have a good draft pick, and it also means they have no draft capital to put into any more trades.

Every player in the Bucks core is at least 29 years old, and due to their cap space situation, this will basically be what the team looks like at LEAST until they have tradable picks again.

Obviously, if you have a player like Giannis on the roster, you do whatever you can to build a championship-contending team around him. To their credit, the front office has done an exemplary job of keeping their superstar happy. When looking three years down the line, however, Lillard will be 36, Khris Middleton will be 35, Brook Lopez will be 39, and Bobby Portis and Antetokounmpo will be 32. 

With Antetokounmpo at the end years of his prime, and his best teammates’ performance declining with age, not to mention another three years of no draft picks, it’s about to be scary hours in Milwaukee. These types of situations are what make players request trades, especially if they don’t have some serious postseason success in the next few years.

Good luck to GM Jon Horst, he’s got his work cut out for him over the next seven years or so!