The Bucks were once rumored as potential Jonathan Kuminga suitors, but ended up not factoring into his final decision as he chose to join the Timberwolves. The decision should be a fruitful one for Milwaukee, who avoids bringing in a risky player that could take touches away from their young prospects. Kuminga was clearly not looking to be part of a rebuild, so the Bucks had no business putting any serious weight behind their pursuit of him.
There's no harm in missing out on Kuminga
If Kuminga had been looking to continue growing his skills and developing, the Bucks would have been an ideal spot for him to do that. But the 23-year-old is clearly more focused on showing he can contribute towards a title contender. In the end, his decision came down to the Lakers and Wolves - both teams with high playoff aspirations next season.
But it's not just Kuminga's own desires that would make him a bad target for the Bucks. His NBA track record is also questionable; he was traded by the Warriors last season after failing to fit into their system and then had his team option declined by the Hawks. There's a reason that teams around the league, the Bucks included, didn't value Kuminga the same way they did Peyton Watson.
Despite winning an NBA championship in his rookie season, Kuminga's own playstyle has not amounted to much winning basketball. Hid production throughout his career has been very sporadic depending on his role. And his poor complimentary skills - namely 3-point shooting and defense - have always held back his impact. Even on a rebuilding team like the Bucks, Kuminga would need those skills to help the team improve.
The Bucks are happy to prioritize other prospects
Molding Kuminga into a winning player after 5 seasons in the NBA would be a difficult task, and one the Bucks are fine avoiding. Instead, they will focus on the cleaner slates of their younger prospects, especially incoming rookies Brayden Burries and Nate Ament. Both have given Milwaukee fans plenty to be excited for, with Burries already drawing some attention as a sleeper candidate from this year's draft.
Even the Bucks' other young players, like Kel'el Ware and Jaime Jaquez Jr who are joining from the Heat, have shown more promise at the NBA level than Kuminga. Even if a young Buck doesn't have the same raw natural talent as Kuminga, he's likely a better investment for Milwaukee if he's shown more complimentary skills and brings less potential headache than Kuminga.
With their change of heart on Kuminga, the Bucks not only prioritized their own young core but they also redirected energy to more fruitful efforts. They were able to make some savvy moves to flip veterans and salary space for future draft capital in the meantime when they could have been pursuing Kuminga instead.
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