As long as Giannis is in Milwaukee, one thing is clear: the Bucks will be committed to improving the roster around him. Accordingly, the front office is looking to make some major noise in the trade market as buyers. What general manager Jon Horst can't do is fall into a familiar trap. Adding a small, defensively challenged guard didn't work in the form of Damian Lillard. Now, going after someone like Ja Morant would only lead to worse disaster.
Morant is the horror genre sequel of a movie the Bucks have seen before
Morant rumors have died down for the moment, but outside of Atlanta's Trae Young, he might be the biggest point-guard name on the market. Given his large contract and poor play this year, he is at a buy-low point and would likely cost substantially less than other players of equal talent. In theory, the Bucks could pursue him for his playmaking and energy. In reality, he is the last star this team needs.
For one thing, Morant has not been a star at all this season. Instead, he has been downright dreadful, shooting 35.7 percent from the field and 19.4 percent on threes. He is averaging 3.6 turnovers per game. Yikes, yikes, and yikes.
Like Lillard, Morant is not known for his defense. The Bucks spent all offseason attempting to reinvent the roster with athleticism and defensive toughness. Unlike Lillard, Morant is a poor shooter. While he has been abysmal this season, he is a career 31 percent 3-point shooter and has never shot better than 34.4 percent in a season.
Once again, that would contradict the vision Horst worked so hard to create. For several reasons, that vision hasn't resulted in a strong start to the season, but having defense and shooting around Giannis will remain the foundation of any success the Milwaukee Bucks ultimately find.
If Morant wasn't a bad enough match already, he has major availability issues. He has only played 14 games this season and just injured his ankle against the Clippers on Monday. He is now in year seven. Injury or suspension has limited him to 321 career games.
The Bucks could, of course, look elsewhere. Would the Bulls offer up Coby White, for example, on a relatively cheap expiring contract?
Even if Chicago were to play ball, the same fundamental issues would remain. At 6-foot-4, White has a couple of inches on Morant or Lillard, but he still isn't a strong defender. His wingspan is just 6-foot-5. Ryan Rollins' wingspan is nearly 6-foot-10, a sizable advantage that contributes to his two-way value.
And that's another consideration. The Bucks shouldn't be looking to upgrade the starting backcourt when they have Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. there already. Those two are something special on both sides of the ball. If Horst pulls the trigger on a major move, the roster has an obvious need: size and shot creation at the wing. That's the prototype the Bucks should target, not a worse version of the Lillard experiment that already ended in failure.