The Milwaukee Bucks were making a hard push to acquire Ja Morant before the NBA Trade Deadline but fell short in their pursuit. Given Milwaukee's track record of making aggressive swings to acquire All-Star talent, especially when Giannis Antetokounmpo's future with the franchise is hanging in the balance, one must wonder if the Bucks could reignite that interest in the summer.
Maybe, but the newest member of the Bucks, Cam Thomas, is certainly making an early case that the Bucks don't need to pay a premium for fantastic backcourt play.
Cam Thomas can become a Bucks building block
Is Thomas on the level of Morant? No. On his best day, Morant is an All-Star, All-NBA player who can lead a team to the postseason. Thomas has never been that. However, Morant hasn't been that this season, either. He's currently having one of his worst years. Whether it was due to injuries or trade rumors, something has impacted his play.
Trading for Morant would have given the Milwaukee Bucks another big name on the payroll, but he would have brought plenty of question marks. How healthy is he? How well will he fit in with Giannis Antetokounmpo due to his lack of shooting? Can he get back to being his old self? Can he justify earning $125 million over the next three seasons? It wasn't a seamless fit.
Instead, the Bucks got Thomas on a minimum deal for the rest of the season, which is as low-risk as it gets in the NBA, and he's been exceptional. It's still early, but the Milwaukee Bucks are likely glad they didn't gut $38 million in salary and potentially any valuable assets to acquire Morant, who hasn't been on the floor since January 21, from Memphis.
Now, it will be up to Thomas to cement his name as a building block down the stretch. Once the NBA season ends, Thomas will be a free agent, and he's skyrocketing his stock already. If he can keep this up, the Bucks could absolutely look to make him a part of their long-term vision. Whether he plays as a reserve or a starter, the Bucks could use a player with Thomas' talents on the roster.
If he plays well, Thomas can make the Milwaukee Bucks completely forget about pursuing Morant in the summer and put all of their attention on him instead. What a turn of events that would be after all of the rumors about the Bucks going star-hunting.
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