Recent comments made by Giannis Antetokounmpo have everyone in a frenzy about his future with the Milwaukee Bucks.
On an episode of the 48 Minutes podcast from Bleav, the Greek Freak reiterated that he wants to win above all else, and while he’d love to do it in Milwaukee, he’d go elsewhere if he felt like there was no shot to do so with the Bucks. He’s been saying this for years, so it’s nothing new, but the NBA world, as usual, took it and ran with it, flooding social media with trade talk.
These comments are to keep pressure on the front office to make sure they never get complacent as long as Giannis is there, which is fine. General Manager Jon Horst should always be attempting to improve the team’s roster. What this team needs right now is a pure scorer who can come into the game and put points on the board in a hurry.
In that regard, there are three targets management should circle on their big board, whether it’s at the NBA trade deadline or before the 2023-24 season.
Milwaukee Bucks Trade Target – Norman Powell
Earlier this off-season, Yahoo! Sports insider Jake Fischer reported that LA Clippers shooting guard Norman Powell was available in trade talks, notably for point guard Chris Paul before he got sent to the Golden State Warriors. If the LA Clippers are indeed dangling Powell’s name in trade talks, the Bucks should not question their methods and instead go after the two guard.
Powell would be the perfect fix to Milwaukee’s bench-scoring concerns. Over the past few years, Milwaukee’s bench has failed to consistently put points on the board, especially in the postseason. This has largely been due to a lack of reliable shot creators, something that Powell would clean up immediately, considering that is one of his strong suits as a player.
Over the last four years, Powell has cemented himself as a legitimate scorer, having averaged an eye-catching 17.6 points per contest while shooting 47.8 percent from the floor and 40.7 percent from 3-point land. A player like that could undoubtedly be a difference-maker for the Bucks, giving them a go-to scorer off of the bench who could actually provide some consistent shot creation.
Financially, Powell will make $18 million this coming season, and he also has two years left on his deal after that, ensuring that he’d be locked up for the foreseeable future. Anything less than $20 million is somewhat reasonable for the Bucks, so this isn’t an issue from that perspective, but it’s unclear what the Clippers may ask for him. Milwaukee should find out.
Rather than essentially living and dying by the Big 3’s production, Powell would give the Bucks an excellent complementary scorer who could help lessen the load from them nightly.