The Milwaukee Bucks were one of the teams pushing to sign Bradley Beal before he ultimately landed with the LA Clippers on Wednesday. Whether or not they acquired Beal, adding another small forward has been a topic of conversation for quite some time, and that should not change following this news. Bringing one in could be the final puzzle piece to this recently retooled Milwaukee Bucks roster.
Beal or not, the Bucks could use a small forward
Positionless basketball is all the rage in today's NBA, but it doesn't always work. Sometimes, teams need to have players who can play their natural position. As things stand, Taurean Prince is the only small forward the Milwaukee Bucks employ. Some would make the argument for Kyle Kuzma, but he stands as more of a power forward - and he's coming off an incredibly poor playoff showing.
Whether it's via trade or free agency, this team could use another small forward, and that doesn't include Thanasis Antetokounmpo, who has been linked to the team recently by NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer. Even before tearing his Achilles, Thanasis was always a depth piece for the Milwaukee Bucks, and that likely wouldn't change this time around if he does indeed make his return.
Regarding Milwaukee's interest in Beal, there's no doubt he could have been a solid pickup. Even if he is coming off a down season, he can still be a quality scorer and facilitator. Striking out on him isn't the end of the world entirely, as the Bucks do have quality two-guard depth with Gary Trent Jr., AJ Green, and Gary Harris. Beal would have been nice, but he was not a clear-cut necessity.
The writing was on the wall that Beal likely wasn't coming to Milwaukee when they signed a different guard in Cole Anthony, another quality addition to this backcourt. While the Bucks would have taken him in with open arms, losing out on Beal does allow them to continue building this roster around the idea of putting young, athletic shooters around Giannis Antetokounmpo. Bradley Beal isn't that.
With the Beal situation now resolves, other teams, including Milwaukee, will likely start to get more active. It felt like Beal was holding up the market entirely, with several teams weighing their options and making pitches to him. Only time will tell if the Bucks have it in them to get a small forward.
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