The Milwaukee Bucks acquired a significant trade exception worth $25.5 million in the blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo deal. While there was chatter that they could use it to pursue players like Peyton Watson, they held off. By doing so, the Bucks have positioned themselves among the most fascinating trade deadline teams, and how they proceed may depend on how they start the season.
Bucks could go one of two ways with trade exception
It's not every day that a team can absorb a $25.5 million salary at will. It gives the front office a fresh new tool to tweak the roster in the coming months. The question is whether they use it in their quest to win or to keep retooling.
If the Milwaukee Bucks defy early expectations and play solid basketball out of the gate, they very well could pursue an upgrade at the trade deadline. It's no secret that they could use a boost at the power forward spot. If the Play-In Tournament is within reach, perhaps they'd make calls on players like P.J. Washington, Cam Johnson, or someone else to push all their chips in.
On the other side of the coin, if the Milwaukee Bucks struggle and see their postseason hopes dim near the deadline, it would make sense to go into asset-seeking mode. If someone like Sacramento wanted to move off Malik Monk and attach draft capital to him, perhaps the Bucks could take on that unwanted salary for the pick benefit. In a retooling phase, they need to collect assets.
Really, it will all come down to the team's performance leading up to the trade deadline.
Bucks' built to defy expectations (but questions remain)
While the general NBA world isn't high on the Milwaukee Bucks, they do have pieces that could make them an interesting unit night in and night out. First and foremost, no one is talking about the upgrade at the coaching spot with Taylor Jenkins. It wasn't all his fault, but the Doc Rivers era was a disaster in every sense of the word. A fresh start alone could give this team a shot in the arm.
The roster itself has an All-Star in Tyler Herro, a redemption-seeking Myles Turner, an ascending Ryan Rollins, and an assortment of other talented young pieces. No one is saying they will be at the top of the food chain when the NBA Playoffs begin, but outlets predicting they will be the worst team in the association might be taking things a step too far.
If the Milwaukee Bucks indeed bounce back under Jenkins, it wouldn't be surprising to see General Manager Jon Horst stick to his aggressive approach and use this trade exception for a mid-season win-now piece.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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