Lately, the Milwaukee Bucks have become excellent at turning young, discarded talent into full-time contributors for them, and Caleb Houstan should be the next name they take a stab at. The forward was waived by the Atlanta Hawks over the weekend to make room for Tony Bradley and is now there for the taking. It won't happen this season, but Houstan could be a nice offseason target.
Bucks could always use another small forward
The appeal with Houstan is crystal clear. He's a 6-foot-8 small forward who just turned 23 and is a career 37.8 percent 3-point shooter. With traits like that, plenty of Milwaukee Bucks fans, including this writer, wanted the team to bring him in last offseason to get a look at him. They missed the memo then, but they have a chance to go after him now.
Whether the Milwaukee Bucks trade or keep Giannis Antetokounmpo, Houstan fits either timeline. If Giannis stays put, Houstan can be a qualiy floor spacer who could thrive alongside him. If Giannis leaves, Houstan could be a part of Milwaukee's likely youth movement and have an opportunity to spread his wings even further.
It also wouldn't cost the team too much. While Houstan won't be available via a two-way, given that next year will be his fifth NBA season, he's not fetching more than a minimum. It would be the ultimate low risk move for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Bucks' youth movement is going strong and should continue
Milwaukee has made it a habit to turn overlooked young talent into solid contributors in recent years.
AJ Green went undrafted. Ryan Rollins was a free agent. Pete Nance was a G Leaguer. Cormac Ryan was right there with him. Ousmane Dieng was being thrown around at the NBA Trade Deadline this past season because no one else wanted him. The Milwaukee Bucks have either helped turn things around for them or give them the opportunity to start their careers off on the right foot.
This summer, they will undeniably be on the hunt for their next success story. Houstan is just one of the names available they should have on their board. With just five regular season games left in this season and no available roster room, Houstan won't be playing for the Bucks anytime soon, but there will certainly be an opportunity to claim him in the next few months.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.