Milwaukee might have just found itself in perfect position to pull off a Warriors-style heist this summer, but it starts with a risky signing.
When Kevin Durant left Golden State in 2019, the Warriors didn’t panic. Instead of letting him walk for nothing, they executed a sign-and-trade for D’Angelo Russell. At the time, it was a move that raised eyebrows across the league. Why bring in another high-usage guard who didn’t fit their system?
The answer came months later when they flipped D-Lo for Andrew Wiggins and a first-round pick, a package that helped power their 2022 title run.
The Bucks might have a similar opportunity now.
Milwaukee's point guard woes offer a silver lining if they choose to take it
The Milwaukee Bucks of today are stuck in a financial straight jacket.
They’re nearly out of first-round picks, short on assets, and unsure whether or not they're getting their starting point guard (who makes up 35 percent of their cap sheet) at any point in the coming season.
To make matters worse, their most promising backup in Kevin Porter Jr. will soon opt out of his player option, and he's sure to command more money than they're ready to throw at him.
As a result, they're stuck scraping the bottom of the proverbial barrel that is the veteran minimum market, where there's no shortage of aged point guards rearing for another shot in this league.
Therein lies the opportunity: if they can sign D’Angelo Russell to a short-term deal using a portion of their midlevel exception, they’d be giving themselves a potential trade chip and buying time.
No, Russell doesn’t fit their long-term picture. At this point in his career, he's little more than a streaky shooter and a player with a reputation for vanishing in high-leverage moments.
But he’s also serviceably productive, widely respected in the locker room, and just young enough (just 29 years old as of this writing) to have value for teams still in search of scoring and shot creation.
The Bucks don’t need to love him; they just need someone else to.
At the end of the day, he's also not the worst point guard in the world for their needs. Russell averaged 18 points and 6.3 assists while shooting 41.5 percent from three last season. That’s not nothing. And if Milwaukee can get that kind of production from a placeholder guard while Lillard convalesces, all the better.
According to Cleaning the Glass, 36 percent of all of the Brooklyn Nets' made shots came off assists by Russell whenever he stepped on the floor - which is good for the 92nd percentile among point guards. Through 717 minutes for Brooklyn, the team's offensive rating rose by +2.7 points per 100 possessions (75th percentile) whenever Russell played.
So yes, he's no shot-making savant these days, but he's a solid point guard who does point guard things. He just made $18 million in his last year for the Nets, but given his waning production, it's not hard to imagine he'd be open to a prove-it deal for a guaranteed role on a contending team.
There’s risk, sure. D-Lo could crater in Doc Rivers’ unstructured offense. His market could dry up. He could even become a locker room headache. But the Bucks are in no position to demand perfection. They need flexibility, optionality, and chips to play with. Signing D’Angelo Russell gives them all three.
Because the real value isn’t on the court. It’s in the asset.
The Milwaukee Bucks need tradable salaries. Russell, on a mid-tier deal, would give them one. Whether they pivot at the deadline or in the summer of 2026, it’s a card worth holding. Think of how Golden State turned a weird fit into a foundational piece.
It’s not glamorous. It won’t fix the roster overnight. But as the Warriors proved, the road back to contention sometimes starts with a move that makes no sense — until it does.