In all likelihood, the Milwaukee Bucks are going to look incredibly different than they do right now five years from now.
Players will come, others will go, and others might just stay put in Milwaukee. With a fast-aging roster, tweaks will have to be made over the next few years to keep this team right in the thick of championship contention. There’s no way to tell exactly what the state of the Bucks will look like in a half-decade, but fans can certainly dream.
That said, let’s piece together a potential dream starting five for the Bucks five years from now while also keeping things somewhat realistic.
Milwaukee Bucks Point Guard: Trae Young
The Milwaukee Bucks are going to need a long-term point guard replacement for Jrue Holiday very soon. Holiday has made it clear that he wants to retire when his current deal is up, which would be after the 2024-25 NBA season. If the team wanted to find a household name to run the point, the perfect target could be Trae Young.
Young, a two-time All-Star, immediately hit the ground running after coming into the NBA, having averaged 25.5 points and 9.3 assists per game for his career. The guard has established himself as one of the best scoring and passing guards in the league, and at 24 years old, he’s still growing as a player by the day. There’s no telling how good he could be in five years.
Two questions are how available Young may be via trade and what it would take to get him if the Atlanta Hawks decided to move him. Young hasn’t outright been made available, but there have been some rumblings, notably with The Athletic’s Shams Charania reporting that the Hawks are monitoring Young’s commitment to the franchise.
If Young were to become available right now, Milwaukee would have no shot of acquiring him, as they have very limited assets. However, they are set to restock up on tradeable assets very soon, starting in the 2024 off-season. As they aim to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo happy, it would not be surprising to see the Bucks push their chips to the center of the table to get another All-Star.
Looking at the current market, Young is among the All-Star point guards who could realistically hit the market and be within Milwaukee’s reach in the coming years.
Milwaukee Bucks Shooting Guard: MarJon Beauchamp
Could MarJon Beauchamp genuinely be the first draft pick that becomes a long-term piece for the Milwaukee Bucks since Giannis Antetokounmpo? Fans are certainly hoping. As said time and time again, Beauchamp has all of the tools to stick in this league for a long time and make an impact at any given time due to the skills he possesses.
On defense, Beauchamp has the potential to be incredibly versatile, as he can match up against a slew of different positions when called upon. He could become Milwaukee’s go-to wing defender for the foreseeable future, utilizing his length and athleticism to make every possession tough for his matchup. He could also take defensive pressure off of his backcourt mate in Trae Young.
While there’s reason to believe Beauchamp will pan out defensively, there are questions about his offense. If he can work on his perimeter jumper while also becoming a stronger contributor closer to the hoop, there’s no telling how he could be on that end. In five years, he’ll almost certainly be a more well-rounded player on that end who could make a massive difference.
Beauchamp, 22, will be in the early stages of his prime in five years. The hope is that he can be one of the team’s next success stories, and becoming the starting two guard while making a two-way impact on a nightly basis would certainly fit the billing. The 2023-24 NBA season could be a huge stepping stone year for the forward in what could be just the beginning of his success.
Milwaukee Bucks Small Forward: Saddiq Bey
Like MarJon Beauchamp, Saddiq Bey is another young, potential-filled wing who could be a quality contributor wherever he plays down the line. As management crafts the very next iteration of the Milwaukee Bucks in the coming years, they’ll likely look to get younger, and Bey could become an incredibly interesting option to man the small forward position long-term.
Bey, a 6-foot-7 wing, has shown a great knack for being able to score the ball throughout his three NBA seasons thus far. In that time with the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks, the small forward has put up 14.1 points while shooting 36.1 percent from three on 6.5 attempts per game. Getting a big wing who can score and shoot would undeniably be a nice addition.
Five years from now, Bey will be 29, meaning he’ll be right in the thick of his prime. By then, Bey’s production could be much more well-rounded. It would not be surprising if he became a consistent 15+ point per game scorer from here on out. If Bey’s name starts floating around in rumors at any point in the coming years, the Milwaukee Bucks should pounce on the small forward.
Milwaukee Bucks Power Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Again and again, Giannis Antetokounmpo has made it clear that he wants to stay in Milwaukee as long as the Bucks remain committed to winning. It seems incredibly far-fetched that the team will look to enter a rebuild at any point when Antetokounmpo is around. The front office will continue to piece together rosters that can compete for a title year in and year out to keep him happy.
In five years, Ginnis Antetokounmpo will be 33 years old. Even if his athleticism will have worn down a bit by that point, the Greek Freak could still undeniably be one of the best in the business and have plenty of gas left in the tank. Antetokounmpo’s game will continue to revolve around his dominance down low as well as his versatile play defensively.
Hopefully Giannis Antetokounmpo follows the same blueprint as Lakers star LeBron James and ages quite gracefully. As long as he takes care of himself and avoids any major injuries, there will be no slowing down the Greek Freak, who – fingers crossed – will finish his career in Milwaukee as he aims to add a few more banners to Fiserv Forum.
For now, the pressure is on the front office to make sure this team can compete with the best to ensure that Giannis remains committed and will be in five years.
Milwaukee Bucks Center: Myles Turner
For years, Myles Turner has been viewed as the ultimate successor to Brook Lopez if Milwaukee were to lose him. In fact, Heavy.com’s Steve Bulpett reported in 2022 that the Bucks showcased some interest in Turner to play Lopez’s role. In five years, Lopez could very well be gone, paving the way for the Milwaukee Bucks to go all in on Myles Turner to fill the void.
Turner would be a seamless fit in Milwaukee due to the characteristics he shares with Lopez on both ends. Defensively, he’s a terror close to the rim, having been named the NBA’s Block Champ twice in his career. Offensively, Turner is a stretch big who can provide adequate spacing for other teammates by knocking down his perimeter shots with some regularity.
Five years from now, Turner will be 32 years old. He’ll still likely be a strong defender and scorer who a handful of teams would love to have. With the Bucks having just signed Brook Lopez to a new contract, they likely will not be in the hunt for a replacement soon. However, when it seems like Lopez may be ready to call it a career, the Bucks could very well give the Indiana Pacers a call.
Myles Turner is certainly a name to keep an eye on over the next several years for the Bucks.
How would this Milwaukee Bucks team fare?
This Milwaukee Bucks team would be very good, as they would all complement each other well.
Of course, Giannis Antetokounmpo would lead the way, but the team would also have an electric guard next to him in Trae Young. These two would wreak some havoc together, as they would be one of the league’s most formidable duos. Antetokounmpo could attack down low on offense while Young makes things happen from the perimeter while providing pristine facilitating.
The wing tandem of Beauchamp and Bey would be interesting, especially for a Milwaukee team that has lacked a surplus wings above 6-foot-5 for a long time. In theory, Beauchamp could be Milwauke’s primary big wing defender while Bey provides a big jolt on the opposite end with his scoring. This would be an incredibly interesting one-two punch on the wing.
Turner would round things out very nicely as the team’s starting center, providing a good amount of interior defense and floor spacing. He and Giannis Antetokounmpo would make for a darn good defensive duo in the frontcourt, giving opposing scorers nightmares when they drive into the lane. Turner could certainly become an outright elite defender within the next few years.
This team could very well compete for a championship and keep Giannis Antetokounmpo happy enough to stick around in Milwaukee.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.