Which Milwaukee Bucks will and won’t be on 2023-24 opening night roster

TIER 3: Maybe, but don’t count on these Milwaukee Bucks being traded

PAT CONNAUGHTON, JRUE HOLIDAY

Jrue Holiday would be on a different team if more than half of Bucks’ Twitter was the GM.

Playoff struggles aside, Holiday is one of the best defenders in the NBA and is coming off an All-Star season where he averaged 19/5/7. It seems with the rumors swirling of the type of players the Bucks are looking to trade for, they would rather find a guard to pair with Holiday in the starting lineup or off the bench that can ease his offensive scoring load and allow him to focus on playmaking and defense. Holiday is essential to what the Bucks are able to do as a top defensive team and even on offense. He shouldn’t be cast aside so easily. It seems like the Celsius king will remain on the Bucks.

Pat Connaughton is only not in the tier following this one because of familiarity with the organization and being a more versatile defender (the bar is low for that one) than the only player in that tier. This is someone that once led the Finals in three-pointers made. He is a proven high-quality role player but is also 30 years old now. The Bucks could look to find a similar player that is younger but PC will more than likely be one of the first players off the bench on opening night.