2024-25 Milwaukee Bucks thread

[LouisEly]

Why would Giannis want to go to a team that didn't make the playoffs last year?

[patrickgpe]

If Giannis wants to go, #2, #14; castle, 2 More 1st’s should be the price . San Antonio makes the most sense.  again I wouldn’t trade him unless he requests it. 

[Matt Breen]

1 hour ago, patrickgpe said:

If Giannis wants to go, #2, #14; castle, 2 More 1st’s should be the price . San Antonio makes the most sense.  again I wouldn’t trade him unless he requests it. 

Yeah, something like this seems reasonable. Probably a guy or two as well - more for salary balancing. As you say, that is if Giannis says he wants to go. 

[BrewerFan]

4 hours ago, LouisEly said:

Why would Giannis want to go to a team that didn't make the playoffs last year?

He would fit that team like a glove. The Spurs also didn't go to the playoffs when David Robinson got hurt...yet they had a dominant big who helped them win a title a year later...and then were contenders the rest of Robinson 's career.

Mix Giannis, Wemby and then they have cap space, they have athletic wings. You send AJ Green with Giannis and you have...a great fit.

Add Giannis and that's a 55 win team next year.

It's just a problem because they don't really the players who I think they'd trade to make this work. But they have several draft picks who could be very valuable.

 

But just in terms of teams, outside of OKC, I don't know if you could find a better fit. He and Wemby would be interchangeable at the 4 and 5, they can defend the rim, they are mobile and this would be the ideal mentor for Wemby.

[BrewerFan]

4 hours ago, patrickgpe said:

If Giannis wants to go, #2, #14; castle, 2 More 1st’s should be the price . San Antonio makes the most sense.  again I wouldn’t trade him unless he requests it. 

Those Hawks 1sts, swaps+a few seconds and then you need...Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley, and multiple first-round picks to the Bucks in exchange for Antetokounmpo. #2 this year, #14, 2026 Swap option. Best of SA, ATL picks. 2027 ATL pick and then a 2031 SAC pick no protections. 

I guess then you try and keep Jericho Sims, Porter, whoever...not that there's a ton of value there, but, just try and build players trade value over the next couple years and keep flipping them for picks and take big swings in the draft...

 

Or, again, maybe sign Cooper Flagg up for free uber eats, cover all of expenses, wait for a historic start to his career and then get in Nicos ear...tell him he's looking a big chubby...and who knows!

 

But outside of OKC, SAS make sense. Most likely, we're a 49 win team in Milwaukee next year.

[adambr2]

More of an NBA general related comment here, but the East, which looked like you could go ahead and pencil in Celtics vs Cavs for the Finals, is one game in each series away from being Knicks/Pacers.

[Matt Breen]

I doubt Dallas is willing to deal the top pick, but you have to ask. I mean, the Mavs are built to win now. Kyrie and AD are older. And I'm not sure of the mix there with Davis and Giannis - who plays where? 

But like I said, you have to ask. Flagg would be a huge addition to any team.

[sveumrules]

2 hours ago, adambr2 said:

More of an NBA general related comment here, but the East, which looked like you could go ahead and pencil in Celtics vs Cavs for the Finals, is one game in each series away from being Knicks/Pacers.

This is just the state of the modern NBA playoffs.

In the seven NBA Finals from 2012-18 there were seven LeBron teams, four Golden States, two San Antonios, and OKC the last year they had Durant, Westbrook & Harden all together occupying the fourteen available spots.

Five franchises, but even Durant had carryover with the Golden State teams so really it was LBJ, Curry, Durant, and Duncan/Kawhi that dominated the festivities.

Those fourteen NBA Finals teams were seeded #1 (x6), #2 (x7) and #4 in their conferences. Whole lot of chalk.

In the six Finals since it's been #1 (x4), #2 (x3), #3 (x2), #5 (x2) and #8. This year its looking like #3 or #4 from the East and #1, #4 or #6 from the West. Way more chaos in the mix now.

From the Lakers 87-88 repeat to the Bulls 96-98 three-peat all twelve NBA titles were won as part of a repeat of three-peat, from 1999 through the Warriors most recent repeat in 2017-18 nine of the twenty titles were repeats or three-peats with the Spurs scattering five individual wins throughout so still very much a Dynasty Era.

With Taum's injury it looks like we'll have no repeat Champion for the 7th straight year and if the Nuggets don't go all the way it'll be seven different Finals MVPs too. The last time there was a run of seven Finals MVPs with no repeats was 1975-81 with Rick Barry, Jo Jo White, Bill Walton, Wes Unsled, Dennis Johnson, Magic Johnson and Cedric Maxwell. 

[sveumrules]

2 minutes ago, Matt Breen said:

I doubt Dallas is willing to deal the top pick, but you have to ask. I mean, the Mavs are built to win now. Kyrie and AD are older. And I'm not sure of the mix there with Davis and Giannis - who plays where? 

But like I said, you have to ask. Flagg would be a huge addition to any team.

Kyrie tore his ACL at the end of the season so they are in the same holding pattern as the Bucks next year with their lead guard out.

They'd also probably have to include AD and his $54M to make salaries work otherwise the Bucks would be taking back some combination of guys like Klay ($16.7M), Daniel Gafford ($14.3M), PJ Washington ($14.4M), Max Christie ($7.7M), Jaden Hardy ($6M), and Dereck Lively ($5.2M) in addition to whatever Flagg gets on his rookie deal (looks like Rissacher was $12.6M for his first season as the #1 pick last year) to try and get up to Giannis $54M number.

[patrickgpe]

This came from bleacher report. They would actually "buy back" their first round picks from '26 and '27. I don't hate it.

Dallas Mavericks Receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Milwaukee Bucks Receive: Max Christie, Daniel Gafford, Jordan Hawkins, Caleb Martin, Kelly Olynyk, 2025 No. 1 overall pick, 2026 first-round pick (their own, via New Orleans), 2027 first-round pick (their own, via New Orleans' swap rights)

New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Dereck Lively II, 2031 first-round pick (via Dallas)

[Brewin]

30 minutes ago, patrickgpe said:

This came from bleacher report. They would actually "buy back" their first round picks from '26 and '27. I don't hate it.

Dallas Mavericks Receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Milwaukee Bucks Receive: Max Christie, Daniel Gafford, Jordan Hawkins, Caleb Martin, Kelly Olynyk, 2025 No. 1 overall pick, 2026 first-round pick (their own, via New Orleans), 2027 first-round pick (their own, via New Orleans' swap rights)

New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Dereck Lively II, 2031 first-round pick (via Dallas)

I would do that deal if in fact Giannis wants out and Dallas would agree. It would be a quick reset for MKE as Flagg certainly has a chance to be a franchise player

[HarryDoyle]

No chance Dallas gives up the top pick.

[CheezWizHed]

If Giannis went to San Antonio, I could cheer for that team.  They were unofficially my second favorite team during the Robinson/Duncan era.  Plus a smaller city with similar struggles to draw like Milwaukee (and a beautiful city if you've never done the Riverwalk...and remember the Alamo). 

For Dallas, the Luka deal went south with their fans so quickly, they might try a splash move to rebound quickly. But it could backfire just as badly on them in the long run...

[patrickgpe]

55 minutes ago, HarryDoyle said:

No chance Dallas gives up the top pick.

I think its somewhat plausible. Trading Luka was such a PR nightmare, getting a Giannis in right away would make that go away. Flagg is still far from a sure thing. Giannis is. 

[jay87shot]

18 hours ago, HarryDoyle said:

With the Spurs getting the #2 overall pick in the draft along with another lottery pick, they become the favorites in the potential Giannis sweepstakes.

I feel like the young players the Rockets and Thunder have to go with picks makes them high on the list. The Spurs should be in the running though. Fox, Wemby, and Giannis is scary.

[patrickgpe]

I agree on the spurs. There is such a drop-off between 1 and 2, it would make sense for the spurs to be receptive to such a deal. 

[jay87shot]

Here are my initial thoughts on packages. 

1) We get Chet Homgren, Cason Wallace, PJ Washington (trade away later), OKC (picks), Dallas Pick (future 1st), OKC gets Giannis, Dallas gets Lu Dort

2) We get Zion, Reed Shepherd, Tari Easton, Houton Picks Houston gets Giannis, NO gets Dillion Brooks and Jabari Smith

3) We get OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges (probably trade both) and picks for Giannis and Pat C

4) We get Castle, Vassell, Sochan, #2, extra pick(s) for Giannis

Here is my crazy deal

We get Chet, Cason Wallace, Bradley Beal, Podziemski, Mark Williams, picks from OKC, Pheonix, and GS

OKC gets Giannis

Charlotte gets 2 1st (1 OKC, 1 GS)

Phoenix gets Lu Dort, Pat C, Kuzma, Aaron Wiggins, sign and trade Kuminga (4/142)

GS gets Durant

 

 

[sveumrules]

12 minutes ago, jay87shot said:

Here are my initial thoughts on packages. 

1) We get Chet Homgren, Cason Wallace, PJ Washington (trade away later), OKC (picks), Dallas Pick (future 1st), OKC gets Giannis, Dallas gets Lu Dort

2) We get Zion, Reed Shepherd, Tari Easton, Houton Picks Houston gets Giannis, NO gets Dillion Brooks and Jabari Smith

3) We get OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges (probably trade both) and picks for Giannis and Pat C

4) We get Castle, Vassell, Sochan, #2, extra pick(s) for Giannis

Here is my crazy deal

We get Chet, Cason Wallace, Bradley Beal, Podziemski, Mark Williams, picks from OKC, Pheonix, and GS

OKC gets Giannis

Charlotte gets 2 1st (1 OKC, 1 GS)

Phoenix gets Lu Dort, Pat C, Kuzma, Aaron Wiggins, sign and trade Kuminga (4/142)

GS gets Durant

If these are the best offers, just keep Giannis.

No point in rebuilding with the front office we have in place and none of our own picks for five years.

[young guns]

Mavs have announced they won't entertain the possibility of trading the pick for what that's worth.

[jay87shot]

5 hours ago, sveumrules said:

If these are the best offers, just keep Giannis.

No point in rebuilding with the front office we have in place and none of our own picks for five years.

Well if Giannis wants out we really dont have much of a choose. Players pretty muchly hold all the cards in the nba. The mismanagement has put us in a entire organization out of contention for like probably the next 10 years any way you slice it. 

I would love to keep Giannis for ever but if he ever wants to win it won't be in Milwaukee. A team with Kuzma and say Bobby Portis with a bunch of minimum salary guys likely isn't much better than 7th or 8th maybe 6th if Giannis is special like he normally is. However we can't content with teams that are 6 players as good or better than Bobby and Kuz.

[sveumrules]

5 minutes ago, jay87shot said:

The mismanagement has put us in a entire organization out of contention for like probably the next 10 years any way you slice it. 

Ten years? That seems a little extreme.

Depending how they play things this offseason the books could be pretty clean in two years when Dame expires.

The NBA playoffs have gotten way more random of late and with Tatum going down the East is as wide open as ever.

I don’t think Giannis has any real desire to leave, but if needed sell him on next year being a gap year, every One Franchise Guy outside of Duncan had them.

After that they’d have an expiring Dame and more future firsts they could deal if they want to keep kicking the can further down the road for one last All In push.

[jay87shot]

10 hours ago, sveumrules said:

Ten years? That seems a little extreme.

Depending how they play things this offseason the books could be pretty clean in two years when Dame expires.

The NBA playoffs have gotten way more random of late and with Tatum going down the East is as wide open as ever.

I don’t think Giannis has any real desire to leave, but if needed sell him on next year being a gap year, every One Franchise Guy outside of Duncan had them.

After that they’d have an expiring Dame and more future firsts they could deal if they want to keep kicking the can further down the road for one last All In push.

My 10 years prediction is based on not having draft picks until 2031, you have to realize we have basically nothing of substantial value after Giannis. If we can get say 2 young players and 4 1st round picks that really doesn't make a decent team. Especially since the team we get those picks from will be good until 2030 because they have Giannis. We will be clean in 2 years but there is no way we will be able to sign any decent free agents with a couple decent young players and no long term picks. Essentially if we trade Giannis we become the Pelicans after Anthony Davis but without the high end picks to get Zion and others. By 2031 it will take at least 3 or 4 years to get our own young players experience and add vets around them. 

[jay87shot]

Any chance we could trade Dame for Bradley Beal? We would be taking on an extra year of bad contract but would be getting a big time help to lure Giannis to stay. The Suns likely won't be able to unload Beal but at least here they get out of a year of the contract and have a big time player for 2026.

1)Dame for Beal

2)Kuzma and Pat C, lotto protected 2031 pick for Jrue Holiday     Ok this is a pipe dream but with Tatem going down Kuz would help fill that role, the Celts also have White and Pritchard as point guards. On top of that Jrue's contract isn't looking good based on some decline in numbers this year.

3) Re-Sign Bobby 

4)Sign Russell Westbrook    I posted this before but Russ playing fast with Giannis is super interesting, in the half court not helpful.

1)Jrue 2)Russ 3) Beal 4)Bobby 5) Giannis   Bench)Green, whoever we can get on minimum deals.

I feel like that team is interesting enough to keep Giannis around for another year or 2 and has some potential to be really good even though it is an old team with holes.

[patrickgpe]

2 hours ago, jay87shot said:

My 10 years prediction is based on not having draft picks until 2031, you have to realize we have basically nothing of substantial value after Giannis. 

As Kenny Rodgers said, You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em.....

If Dame didn't blow his ACL, fine. Lets make one more go at it. But next season will be Giannis and some benchwarmers.

[LouisEly]

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned here is how the Bucks star players have been injured/not 100% in the post-season the last four years..  And it's been all three - Giannis, Middleton, and now Lillard.  

It's really hard to win in the playoffs when your star players are struggling just to get on the court..