The Los Angeles Clippers just did Milwaukee a huge favor this offseason, and they don't even know it. By signing Chris Paul to a deal, the Clippers saved Milwaukee from the kind of aging star acquisition that has haunted their recent history for years now.
According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, the Bucks had already expressed interest in Chris Paul. Ultimately, though, Paul moved out West after deciding he wanted to be close to his family after playing last season in San Antonio.
Chris Paul is 40 years old, injury-prone, and still wants to be a starter, which are all red flags for a Bucks team already struggling to stay young and athletic. The Clippers taking him off the board saves Milwaukee from even having to entertain what would have been organizational malpractice.
Chris Paul would have seen the Bucks back in their old ways
Perhaps the most damaging part is this: Paul still believes he's a starting-caliber point guard worthy of 30+ minutes per night. Though valid, giving him that role would have rendered the Bucks dependent on another starter who could just as easily end up sidelined during the playoffs. It would have also derailed them from their encouraging direction of getting younger and more athletic.
Milwaukee's recent history with aging point guards makes Paul's appeal even more mystifying. They've floundered in the playoffs for three years in a row now because of aging starters who were sidelined with injury in the first round. So to be willing to bet on that strategy for a fourth year is unencouraging, to say the least.
The Clippers can afford to take this gamble because they're desperate for veteran leadership and have limited alternatives. Their championship window operates on a different timeline, with older stars who can relate to Paul's current phase of career decline. Milwaukee's core is younger and more athletic – they need complementary pieces who match that energy.
None of this is to say that Paul is washed or anything of the sort. In fact, according to Cleaning the Glass, Paul is in the 87th percentile in offensive rating and the 82nd percentile on the opposing end. It's clear he's still that steady two-way floor general he's always been.
So is he suddenly a bad player? Definitely not. But can he do what this iteration of the Bucks would have needed him to do in the absence of Damian Lillard? Probably not either.
The Bucks, unfortunately, have not learned an important lesson they should have committed to memory by now: championship teams in this day and age get younger, not older. Paul's Hall of Fame career doesn't change the reality that he's become an unsustainable rental for desperate teams looking to make one final push. Yet the Bucks have also reportedly been interested in another injury-prone guard in Marcus Smart.
Sometimes the best roster moves are the ones that never happen. By letting the Clippers chase Chris Paul's fading stardom, Milwaukee preserved their ability to find point guard solutions that actually align with their championship timeline.
The Bucks dodged another aging veteran bullet, and their title hopes are better for it. After all, there are better (and younger) options still out there.