As the Milwaukee Bucks seek out offseason improvements, that might end up coinciding with much bigger risks needing to be taken.
The Milwaukee Bucks enter into the offseason with a number of pronounced issues on their roster that they’ll be eager to address.
Another disappointing postseason performance from Eric Bledsoe has reportedly left a potential point guard change at the forefront of their plans, while a number of free agents and an abundance of veterans also leaves plenty to be desired when it comes to Milwaukee’s depth.
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In other words, it’s no real mystery as to what kind of moves Milwaukee would like to make over the next few months, although it remains to be seen just what exactly they’ll be able to pull off.
That brings the situation back to the team’s challenging position when it comes to making improvements to their roster.
The Bucks are already running low on future draft picks that can be traded, they have no cap space of note to work with in free agency, and their failure to develop recent draftees means there’s a lack of appealing players who could be dangled as trade bait for rival teams.
In other words, the Bucks lack avenues to upgrade their roster without parting with some of the pieces of their team that are still very much in working order, and key cogs of the success the team has enjoyed for large spells of the past two seasons.
This was something that was touched on by my colleague Jordan Treske in his ranking of Milwaukee’s trade chips this offseason.
Along with Bledsoe and the pick owed to Milwaukee by Indiana for the upcoming draft, that list included three players who have been essential pieces of the Bucks’ rotation, and who offer little evidence to suggest that wouldn’t continue next season.
That trio consists of Brook Lopez, George Hill, and Donte DiVincenzo. Respectively, a former All-Star center whose game has helped to define the Bucks’ system on both ends of the floor, a vastly experienced Sixth Man who has emerged as a key presence for Milwaukee in the locker room and on the court, and a high potential guard who already offers stellar defense and is the best young player the Bucks have left.
In any straight line path to overcoming their playoff woes for next season, parting with those kind of contributors wouldn’t seem obvious, but the Bucks will have to accept that any significant moves this offseason will require the kind of bold risks that may ultimately open the door for new vulnerabilities to open up at different spots.
It’s far from an ideal situation, but it is the cost of the Bucks managing a challenging cap sheet, failing to make their draft picks count, and not even consistently recouping long-term value with picks that have been traded away.
As a result, simply making a deal that sees the Bucks upgrade from Bledsoe without disrupting the rest of their core could prove to be impossible. That means that difficult decisions lie ahead, and Milwaukee’s front office will have to take greater care than ever before when it comes to any deal that ends up on the table.