Milwaukee Bucks: 3 questions they must ask before trade deadline

The NBA’s trade deadline is scheduled for March 25, and the Milwaukee Bucks certainly have a case to be busy between now and then.

Milwaukee just finished a turbulent six-game road trip, and after starting things off promising with three straight wins, they immediately followed up with three straight losses to close things out. Despite the hectic trip, they are still 16-11 on the season, which is still good for second in the Eastern Conference standings.

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Still, this is a team that has ruled the regular season for two consecutive seasons, and this year, it has been anything but that. One could argue that this could be due to Milwaukee’s reshaped roster still finding their footing amongst one another, but that excuse can only persist for so long as the Bucks are already one-third of the way through the shortened season.

The more welcoming idea is that the Bucks have been trying new things out. Head coach Mike Budenholzer has never been one to deviate from his principles, but he has shown a willingness to make in-game adjustments to try and improve the team this year, to his credit. 

Yet, Milwaukee’s front office is certainly not free of questions ahead of next month’s trade deadline. Although they are not positioned to make significant changes, there could still be some impactful moves waiting in store.

Questions the Milwaukee Bucks must ask before the trade deadline — Are they content with Donte DiVincenzo at shooting guard?

Entering his third NBA season with the team, the Bucks promoted promising guard Donte DiVincenzo into the starting lineup. Taking the shooting guard responsibilities from Wesley Matthews, who departed via free agency, many questioned whether the 23-year-old would be up for the challenge.

DiVincenzo silenced his doubters early with a red-hot start to the season offensively in the final days of December but quickly quieted down with a not-so-promising follow up in January. Inconsistency has been a looming concern of Donte’s since he came into the league, and it is on full display throughout his 27 appearances this season.

In his last two games, for instance, DiVincenzo has been night and day. February 12 against the Utah Jazz, he scored just five points on 2-of-9 shooting (1-of-4 from deep) in 26 minutes. In the team’s very next game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the guard caught fire offensively by finishing with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting (5-of-7 from long-range). While players undoubtedly have off nights, these inconsistencies have become a staple for DiVincenzo.

The Bucks were willing to part ways with the guard this offseason when he was reportedly headed to the Sacramento Kings in a sign-and-trade deal with Bogdan Bogdanovic. Of course, that deal fell through, to which the Bucks had to fork over a future second round pick, but the point still stands.

This team appears to have faith in DiVincenzo, but it will be compelling to see if they decide to stick with him or potentially make another move for an upgrade.