Over the years, Milwaukee Bucks General Manager Jon Horst has never passed on the opportunity to check in on a star player who might be available for trade. Despite turning over a new leaf after having traded away franchise icon Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer, that aggressive mindset reportedly remains unchanged. Per The Athletic's Sam Amick (subscription required), the Bucks are among the teams with interest in Detroit Pistons' big man Jalen Duren.
Jon Horst is doing Jon Horst things
Aggressive is Jon Horst's middle name. Over the years, in an effort to maximize the team's window with Antetokounmpo, Horst orchestrated major deals for players like Jrue Holiday, Damian Lillard, P.J. Tucker, and several others. That goes without mentioning the dozens of other big fish the team was rumored to be interested in at various points, such as Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, and more.
Duren falls perfectly in line with this. If there is even a slim chance that a player could be pried from their current team, Horst will call and kick the tires. With Duren and Detroit in a contract standoff, Horst is seemingly seeing how badly the Pistons might want to get out of this mess. It never hurts to check in and see, at the bare minimum, if you can get an All-NBA talent on your roster.
This chatter feels slightly more intense, though. In the past, it felt like the Milwaukee Bucks were just checking in on potentially available stars rather than having them circled on their big board. When it comes to Duren, Amick notes that Milwaukee has "serious" interest in the big man both now and next summer if he hits the open market. Rather than just checking in, this could be an all-out pursuit.
No Antetokounmpo, no problem for Horst
Even with Horst at the helm, it's somewhat surprising that the Milwaukee Bucks are already looking at their next potential blockbuster. The aggressive swings made plenty of sense when Giannis was with the team because they were constantly in win-now mode. Now, before this rumor, it felt like the team would take a slower approach, develop talent internally, and grow from there.
Although acquiring Duren, who is just 22, would still allow them to do that, pushing their chips to the center of the table, especially after they just refilled the asset cabinet, would signal a desire to win as much as possible in the present. It would be a bold bet, but if the Milwaukee Bucks think Duren can be their center of the future, don't expect Horst to just sit back as the Pistons struggle to lock him down.
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