The Milwaukee Bucks are trying to enter a new chapter without closing the last one. They have one of the two or three best players in the league firmly in his prime, and they need to find a way to surround him with the best possible team to make a run at a second championship.
A first-round exit cost head coach Mike Budenholzer his job, and the organization hired Adrian Griffin to replace him. The longtime Toronto Raptors assistant coach has spent time around the league, previously coaching in Oklahoma City, Orlando, Chicago, and even Milwaukee during his NBA career.
As the Milwaukee Bucks begin looking for free agent targets, they could lean on Griffin’s well-traveled career to recruit his former players to Milwaukee. Which former players could be options for the Milwaukee Bucks this summer?
Out of their price range: Gary, Fred, Jerami and Jakob
There are a number of players that Griffin coached at one point or another who are indeed free agents this summer, but the Bucks are unlikely to have much financial flexibility to pursue big-ticket players. Gary Trent Jr., Fred VanVleet, and Jakob Poeltl were all on the Raptors with Griffin this past season, but all of them will make more than the Milwaukee Bucks can offer.
Jerami Grant is the name of a player who would be a fascinating fit on the Bucks, and he and Griffin crossed paths in Oklahoma City. He will be looking at contracts much higher than Milwaukee can offer as well. Tracing those connections is fun, but the Bucks have to look at former role players instead. Here are seven players Griffin could more realistically recruit to town.
Free agent No. 7: Taj Gibson, Center
While Taj Gibson is most commonly attached to Tom Thibodeau, who loves his former players and has brought Taj Gibson along to three different teams, he and Griffin formed a relationship when both were on the Chicago Bulls during the early 2010s. Griffin was an assistant coach on the Bulls during their best years of competing for an Eastern Conference title.
Gibson may be out of his prime, but he hasn’t lost any of his size, strength or physicality. The Bucks could use a big man to put on the court in specific moments to steady the defense when Brook Lopez is off the court, and Gibson will be a proven option on the veteran’s minimum to fill that role of third center behind Lopez and Bobby Portis.
Free Agent No. 6: Yuta Watanabe, Wing
The Brooklyn Nets had their hands full managing the drama of their stars this past season, but what went under the radar was how they managed to hit on a couple of different role players who had their best seasons this past year, and one such player was Yuta Watanabe.
The 6’9″ wing went from fringe NBA player to rotation player with Adrian Griffin in Toronto before truly “breaking out” this past season in Brooklyn. He shot 44.4 percent from 3-point range and plays solid defense, and the Bucks could use as many of those types of players as they can get. Despite playing well, his profile in the league is still low, and the Milwaukee Bucks might be able to add him on a minimum deal for next season.
Free Agent No. 5: Derrick Rose, Guard
We previously mentioned that Adrian Griffin was an assistant coach on the Chicago Bulls during their heyday last decade, and that means that he also coached the Bulls’ MVP guard Derrick Rose. Countless injuries have sapped Rose’s explosion and athleticism, but he is still enough of a scorer to help a team’s bench out.
The New York Knicks didn’t need him last season and rarely played him, and if his team option isn’t exercised (as expected), he will hit the market, likely looking at minimum offers. The Bucks should think hard about adding Rose to give their bench scoring some juice; he might have enough left in the tank to help them out.
Free Agent No. 4: Terence Davis, Wing
Terence Davis is a player who continues to get very little buzz around the league despite the fact that he checks so many of the boxes for a winning player. He is a good perimeter defender, he shoots from outside at a consistent clip, and he is still only 26 years old.
Davis started his career in Toronto with Griffin, playing real rotation minutes from the jump as a rookie as their bench shooting specialist. In Sacramento the past two seasons, he has seen his minutes go up and down, but in the playoffs, he was elevated to a key role defending Stephen Curry and was generally up to the task. He would be an excellent fit for the Milwaukee Bucks’ bench if he remains a bargain on the open market.
Free Agent No. 3: Danny Green, Wing
Adrian Griffin’s tenure in Toronto began with the 2018-19 NBA season, which was obviously an important season in the history of the Raptors franchise. Prior to that season, Toronto traded for San Antonio Spurs superstar Kawhi Leonard, and he led a dominant two-way supporting cast to the NBA Finals and the first championship in team history.
The other player who came over in the Kawhi deal was Danny Green, who started all season for the Raptors and provided his career-long combination of wing defense and sharpshooting. He shot 45.5 percent from 3-point range that season, and for his career, he is a 40 percent 3-point shooter on significant volume.
The question for Green is whether he still has enough defensive mobility to survive on the court in the playoffs. He tore his ACL just over a calendar year ago in the playoffs with the Philadelphia 76ers and clearly wasn’t back at 100 percent in the handful of games he played with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the end of the season.
It’s reasonable to think Green can get much of that mobility back as he continues to heal from that injury, and if so, he’s going to be a steal for whichever team signs him in free agency. The Milwaukee Bucks and any contender can use a backup small forward with his pedigree, veteran experience, and shooting ability.
Free Agent No. 2: Victor Oladipo, Wing
Last summer, the Milwaukee Bucks used their Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception on former Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles, who was recovering from a torn ACL. Ingles missed the start of the season before returning for the stretch run. Could the Bucks play the same game this off-season with another well-known player dealing with a brutal injury?
When Adrian Griffin was an assistant coach on the Orlando Magic, he would have gotten to know Victor Oladipo, and the two were again together on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Oladipo has since found his way from Indiana to Houston to Miami, where he was a key reserve this season before tearing his left patellar tendon in his knee in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
Oladipo likely won’t be ready for the start of next season, but if the Bucks could be patient, they could add a difference-maker at a bargain amount. His market is likely to be depressed due to his injury, and the long-term investment could pay off for Milwaukee. His scoring and defense could make a major difference off of the bench down the stretch of next season if the Milwaukee Bucks are willing to take the gamble.
Free Agent No. 1: Nikola Vucevic, Center
All of the players we have examined thus far have been available for a minimum contract or the Taxpayer MLE, and players available at a bargain due to age or lack of a track record. If the Milwaukee offseason goes in a different direction, however, and they lose both Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, perhaps a player like Nikola Vucevic could be available to help replace both Lopez’s size and Middleton’s scoring pop.
That’s not to say Vucevic can come anywhere close to either’s impact, but there aren’t a lot of players who could realistically be available for the Non-Taxpayer MLE that could come close to filling either’s shoes. It’s very possible “Vooch” signs for much more than the MLE, but the market for 32-year-old centers is limited and could lead to a bargain for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Vucevic became a star with the Orlando Magic, and it was there he crossed paths with Adrian Griffin. He had a solid season a year ago for the Chicago Bulls, averaging 17.6 points, 11 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game for the second consecutive season. He is a career 34.8 percent 3-point shooter, hardly a sniper but perfectly adequate for a center.
Nikola Vucevic is not the ticket to another NBA championship, nor is any individual player on this list. What they do represent are opportunities to add rotation depth at a bargain, leaning on their new coach’s ties around the league to build the best possible team around Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday.