For weeks, the Milwaukee Bucks have been linked to both Peyton Watson and Jonathan Kuminga as sign-and-trade targets. While either player would give the Bucks a young, talented forward to fill out their roster, Watson is the better player, and it appears Milwaukee knows that. In his latest notebook for Bleacher Report, Jake Fischer noted that Watson is the Bucks' preferred option at this point.
"I do think that Milwaukee is still very much in play for Peyton Watson and Jonathan Kuminga on the sign-and-trade front. It does sound like they have more interest in Peyton Watson, though."
As the Milwaukee Bucks look to make one more splash this summer, it appears they have their top options ranked accordingly.
Watson makes more sense for Bucks than Kuminga
Both players are 23-year-old forwards who would fit seamlessly in Milwaukee's youth movement after the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. Yet, in terms of overall production and ability to help this team now, Watson takes the cake. He is the more productive player and has the higher ceiling, given his play as a legitimate two-way threat—a status Kuminga hasn't quite earned in his career yet.
Watson would make the Milwaukee Bucks more formidable on impact. They already have a solid team after a hectic summer, but the addition of a two-way starter would only beef up this unit further. They might not become title contenders, but people would certainly pay more attention. Kuminga just isn't having that same type of impact if he were to join the squad.
Watson is Plan A, while Kuminga is Bucks' Plan B
None of this is to say that Kuminga is a bad player or that the Milwaukee Bucks should just abandon their pursuit of him. He would be a fine addition to a team that could use another forward. It's just like seeing that both LeBron James and James Harden are free agents. Most teams would like rather get James but would be fine snagging Harden as a fallback option if it was actually on the table.
If Watson returns to Denver or is simply too pricey for Milwaukee's liking, it would be justified to ditch Watson and lock in on Kuminga. Even if he's not as productive, Kuminga would be a nice addition to a team that should be looking at as many upside swings as possible. After stints with the Warriors and Hawks, perhaps Kuminga just needs to land somewhere he can actually spread his wings.
Milwaukee could be that landing spot, but the Bucks would love to get things sorted with Watson first.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
Add us as a preferred source on Google