The Milwaukee Bucks reportedly watched Mikel Brown Jr. conduct a pre-draft workout. Unfortunately, if Milwaukee's interest in Brown is legitimate and they're eyeing him as a potential cornerstone, a recent report indicates that they'll need to trade up at the 2026 NBA Draft.
Moving up at a time when Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the trade block could prove complicated, but Milwaukee will need to get creative if they hope to land Brown without losing significant assets.
Brown is a captivating talent. He stands at 6'3.5" without shoes and 190 pounds with a 6'7.25" wingspan and a 39.5" max vertical leap. He also has a compelling, albeit unrefined, combination of three-level scoring potential, court vision, and athleticism. Milwaukee inevitably isn't the only team aware of his upside.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Bucks have visited Brown for a pre-draft workout, but are unlikely to have a shot at drafting him.
"Brown, meanwhile, had been exclusively holding 1-on-0 workouts in Orlando, which we've already reported included a somewhat surprising visit from Jon Horst and the Bucks' front office...A warning to the Bucks and any other team interested in Brown: He might not be available beyond the No. 6 overall selection held by the Nets."
It's certainly possible that the Bucks were simply doing their homework on Brown, but if they have sincere interest in drafting him, it appears as though they'll need to trade up.
Bucks watched Mikel Brown work out, but may need to trade up for him
Brown represents an opportunity to bet on the upside of a game-changing talent. In 2025-26, he averaged 18.2 points, 4.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 2.6 three-point field goals made per game. Each of those numbers only begin to reflect his alluring potential.
The harsh reality of getting creative with a trade up for Brown, however, is that he's still in the early stages of developing his game.
While his production may be impressive, his efficiency and turnover issues are tough to overlook. He shot at a clip of .410/.344/.844 in 2025-26, all the while committing 3.1 turnovers per game. One simply can't gloss over how dominant he looked at times during his freshman campaign.
That includes a late-season stretch during which Brown dropped 45 points on North Carolina State and followed the performance with 29, 29, 19, and 24-point showings.
The question facing Milwaukee is whether or not they can realistically trade up to No. 6 or higher. Doing so could be achieved if Antetokounmpo is whom the deal is built around, but if not, it would prove difficult. The Bucks are already paying Damian Lillard's waive-and-stretch salary, thus making it difficult to take back a net-negative contract, and don't exactly have the luxury of devaluing future picks to achieve more in the present.
It's unclear how the Bucks would be able to trade up at this point, but if they want Brown, Fischer's report indicates that they'll need to.
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