
The Milwaukee Bucks will officially begin their preseason action tonight when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies.
In turn, that means the offseason has officially come to a close, and what a whirlwind of emotions it has been over the few months it has been. Following their championship-winning season, many questioned what kind of moves the Bucks could make to bolster their chances of making a run to defend their crown next season, and the results were met with mixed feelings by most. Some are of the thinking that the team improved drastically, while others think that some key losses will be challenging to overcome. Let us take a closer look at both of those claims and hand the Bucks an overall grade for the 2021 offseason.
Handing out a final grade for the Milwaukee Bucks’ offseason – The Losses
First and foremost, the elephant in the room for Milwaukee’s offseason is their willingness to let P.J. Tucker walk in free agency. Tucker started in 19 playoff games for the Bucks this past season, and it seemed evident after the title that they would bring him back. However, due to what can be classified as luxury tax concerns, the team opted not to bring him back, which paved the way for him to sign with the Miami Heat.
After seeing him play such a crucial role for the Bucks in the playoffs, this decision was obviously met with criticism from the fanbase. Tucker was a vocal presence both on and off the floor, which is something that this team needed. His contributions were hit or miss on the offensive end, but they brought him aboard to play his brand of tough defense, which he did. Tucker most notably went to war with Kevin Durant for seven games in the East Semis, and although it was a lopsided matchup statistically, it proved to be enough to help the Bucks advance. The Bucks made moves in free agency to try and replace Tucker, but only time will tell if these new additions can fill those massive shoes.
Elsewhere, they lost another pivotal contributor in sharpshooter Bryn Forbes, who returned to the San Antonio Spurs in free agency. Forbes had a great year with the Bucks as he shot a career-best 45.2 percent from behind the arc, having fit seamlessly with this team offensively. He also had a playoff series for the ages against the Heat in the first round, where he seemingly could not miss on the offensive end for four consecutive games. Following that series, Forbes saw his role shrink mightily to the point where he was not playing in crucial playoff games. While they will miss his shooting, the decision to let him leave was understandable as he fell out of the rotation.
Other losses include Jeff Teague, Mamadi Diakite, Sam Merrill, Axel Toupane, and Justin Jackson. Among the bunch, Teague was the player that saw the most consistent time in the rotation after signing with the team midseason. Aside from an 11 point effort in Milwaukee’s Game 6 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in the Conference Finals, Teague’s contributions were typically minimal. The other players listed showed some signs of potential when they played, but not enough to keep them around for the long haul.