Milwaukee Bucks: Trade Deadline Moves Regained Control Of The Future

At a largely quiet trade deadline for the team, the Milwaukee Bucks did exactly what they needed to do with an eye on long-term success.

I’ve grown incredibly tired of “Own the Future”. Once a bright marketing ploy that aligned with the direction of the franchise on and off the court, the Milwaukee Bucks’ marketing slogan of choice has overstayed its welcome at this point.

It’s become a trite, contrived throwaway line that surfaces on official social media channels in the midst of a 25-point blowout loss as often as it does in an impressive win. It’s something of a catch-all statement and sentiment that can be used in place of anything of real substance when times are bad, and often when they’re good too.

For example, Own the Future does nothing to describe the force of nature that All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has become in the present. As a result, it’s no longer enough to paper over the cracks when things go wrong either.

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The Bucks have their star, and they could have as many as three of them if injuries would ever pause long enough to give Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jabari Parker a chance to blossom together. The new arena is making visible progress toward its end point of being a state-of-the-art focal point that both the city and the team can be proud of. And with the recent announcement of a D-League team in Oshkosh, the Bucks’ influence has never been as far-reaching around the state.

Own the Future is on the precipice of becoming an insult to the intelligence of fans, as the Bucks are nearing ever closer to the now.

That’s not the now of win-now, annual contention and championship parades, but it’s the time that precedes that and represents the truest form of the present for most good NBA teams. Even with the best of intentions, execution, and planning; nothing is guaranteed in the NBA.

When the Bucks tip over and reach that juncture where the focus narrows, so that to dream the impossible long-term dreams every move in the moment needs to be maximized to its full potential, the future is no longer a security blanket to appease everyone and everything all at once.

The Bucks are almost there. From next season the feeling could well change, and a fanbase that is largely patient and supportive will have a right to look for more. If you’re sold for long enough on how good things are going to be a few years down the line, when said few years pass you’re going to want a return.

And with that in mind, February 2017 could prove very important in the grand scheme of what this Bucks team becomes. Over the past few weeks, even when met with adversity, the Bucks have used the Own the Future ideology as the driving force of a strategy rather than just paying mere lip service to it as a ticket-selling vehicle.

In not doing very much, the Bucks did more than enough to ensure they’re set up not just to win in the road ahead, but also to make the more pressing, necessary decisions that will define that long-term path when they arrive at it sooner than later.

As the Bucks began to fall apart on the court near the end of January, the prospect of the team having any real financial flexibility to remedy emerging issues in the long run seemed implausible. No matter what move they made, it seemed they were always going to have that Miles Plumlee contract hanging around their necks. Until they didn’t.

Against what seemed like conventional wisdom, John Hammond, Justin Zanik and the rest of the front office managed to move Plumlee, and do so by taking back nothing but expiring contracts. Flipping one of those two expiring contracts may seem insignificant, but it gives the team a chance to take a flyer on a free agent who could possibly become something longer term.

All of this leaves the Bucks set for a crossroads of important decisions in the summer, and once again, to do so with the necessary tools to control their own destiny. Milwaukee certainly could have done with some extra help for the run-in as they attempt to make the playoffs. Even better, they could have used a long-term role player at a cheap price. Who couldn’t?

What the Bucks couldn’t afford was another misstep, though. Without one, they will enter the coming offseason with a chance to redefine the franchise’s direction and commit to what their key principles are going forward.

This will will have to start with a frank appraisal of how Jason Kidd is managing the team as head coach. The verdict on that will likely remain TBD from an organizational standpoint until we see what kind of run at getting to the playoffs this team can make. It’s more important than ever that the coach and the team’s philosophies are thoroughly assessed this summer, as with an entire D-League franchise to staff, there needs to be confidence that the values being instilled from top to bottom are what’s best for the team.

There’ll also be another chance to spend in free agency, as with more cap space than was previously expected, there’ll be a host of decisions to make on players such as Greg Monroe, Tony Snell, Michael Beasley, and Jason Terry, as well as potential extension discussions with the injured Jabari Parker.

It’s possible that after this summer the Bucks will be somewhat locked in to their core and supporting cast for better or worse, and so when play opens for the 2017-18 season, it’ll be more about the present than ever before.

Speaking at an event on Thursday related to the arena district and some of the business opportunities around it, Bucks president Peter Feigin was bullish about the team’s post-season target.

If the Bucks were to miss the playoffs this year it would be one thing, but the owners have long stated that Milwaukee needed to be a playoff team heading into the new arena.

Creating flexibility and options for the summer at this year’s trade deadline ensured that the Bucks will have one more chance to set out their future path to their liking this summer. But goals, targets and expectations look set to catch up with them beyond that point, and there’ll be little room for errors or excuses from then on.

It becomes about winning. It becomes about realizing the vision that was sold to the fans in the first place. It becomes about self-actualizing as a first class organization, rather than simply aiming to be one.

Next: Milwaukee Bucks: Every All-Star In Franchise History

At that point, if we’re lucky, the slogan will change too.