Drafting has not been a strength of the Milwaukee Bucks in recent years, and that includes in the 2024 NBA Draft. Bleacher Report's draft redo from that year has them taking a much better player, Tristan da Silva, than their original pick, AJ Johnson. He would fix a weakness that the Bucks have struggled to solve for a number of seasons.
Tristan da Silva would have fit the Bucks perfectly
Taking Johnson raised eyebrows around the NBA. With the Bucks heading into their second season of pairing Giannis Antetokounmpo with Damian Lillard, it looked like the team would take an NBA-ready player to fit the timeline of contending now. Everyone thought wrong, and Johnson was taken with the 23rd pick, an unknown who spent time in Australia, and many outlets didn't have him going until late in the second round.
Da Silva was taken with the 18th pick, so this redo would see him drop slightly, but his ability to shoot and play solid defense on the wing is something the Bucks could still use. This season, he is averaging 8.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game on shooting splits of .427/.365/.842 for the Orlando Magic.
Despite the Magic's injuries, da Silva has shown he can be complementary to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, two players who have the ball in their hands a lot. Pairing him with Giannis and Lillard would've been a really nice fit. Milwaukee started the 2024-25 season with Khris Middleton, Taurean Prince, and Pat Connaughton as their small forwards, all solid in their own right, but a younger, more athletic wing to throw in the mix would have been a huge boost.
The only thing with da Silva is that he entered the league at 23 years old and has shown he belongs; whether the ceiling is much higher than his current ability is difficult to say.
Johnson, on the other hand, was moved on quickly by the Bucks in the trade to acquire Kyle Kuzma. He was given plenty of game time after moving to Washington, but he only featured 25 times this season for an average of 8.6 minutes per game.
At the trade deadline, he was then moved to Dallas as part of the Anthony Davis trade. A tough break for the 21-year-old. There is still time for him to reach his potential, but right now, he is struggling to nail down a spot in the league.
Lots of things would have needed to fall in place for the Bucks to land Tristan da Silva. He would have been a really nice pick at 23, maybe not a complete franchise changer, but he certainly would have fit the roster and fixed the glaring weakness Milwaukee needed.