Assessing Bleacher Report’s “ambitious” free agent target for the Bucks

After recently hiring their next head coach in Adrian Griffin, the Milwaukee Bucks will now turn their attention to improving the roster.

With very little spending money and finite tradeable assets, the Bucks will not be taking any big swings in the off-season, in all likelihood. Their best bet will be looking to round out their roster in free agency with some veteran minimum signings, such as one proposed by the Bleacher Report NBA staff recently. In the article, writers were asked to come up with one “ambitious” free agent target for every team, and T.J. Warren was selected for the Bucks.

Assessing Bleacher Report’s “ambitious” free agent target for the Bucks

First and foremost, “ambitious” may not be the right word to use in this case, as Warren is one of the few players who could genuinely be within Milwaukee’s reach on the market. Nevertheless, he is a solid option for the Bucks in free agency and someone that this writer has vouched for before.

The appeal with Warren has always been his scoring ability. For his nine-year career, he’s averaged 14.6 points while shooting 50.6 percent from the floor and 35.4 percent from three. A good chunk of that production came prior to a brutal injury that Warren dealt with over the past two seasons, having played a combined four games between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. Still, scoring is in Warren’s blood, and despite being away from the game for nearly two years, he showed this season that he still had some juice in that regard.

The Bucks need more shot-creators and sparkplugs offensively. Over the last few years, the trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton have had to shoulder most of the load offensively, and it’s come back to bite the team in the postseason. In modern terms, this team is in need of “bucket getters,” and Warren is a feasible option as a three-level scorer. He could come in off of the bench and give the team a huge jolt offensively. Furthermore, this team needs wings on the roster, and the 6-foot-8 Warren would fit the bill.

Financially, Warren should be within Milwaukee’s price range this off-season. He’s coming off an inconsistent year with the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns and should not command a lot on the open market. Perhaps the Bucks could entice him with a “prove it deal” to showcase that he can still play at a high level to earn a more lucrative deal next off-season.

Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.