Stop if you've heard this before: the 2026 NBA draft is loaded with talent. The top four picks are the talk of the league, but those players later on in the lottery are pretty good, too. If the Milwaukee Bucks decide to move Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer, they would love to get their hands on another lottery selection in addition to their own pick, the 10th overall.
Doing so could impact the future of starting center Myles Turner. Michigan's Aday Mara is growing in popularity as a draft target among Bucks fans. The 7-foot-3 junior was among the prospects the team met with at the NBA draft combine.
Having two picks instead of one would allow the Bucks to target multiple aspects of the roster, including the center position. Want Mara? You can have him. Making Turner expendable would be a worthwhile tradeoff.
Doubling up in lottery could reshape Bucks' approach
With just the one pick, general manager Jon Horst should approach the draft with a clear priority. Adding a two-way force in the backcourt, say Arizona's Brayden Burries or Baylor's Cameron Carr, is the best thing the Bucks can do for the future of the franchise. Milwaukee must address the guard or wing position first and foremost.
The current roster does not have a guaranteed starter alongside Ryan Rollins. Kevin Porter Jr. played well enough that he can probably decline his $5.4 million 2026-27 player option and elect free agency.
Meanwhile, while Turner hasn't lived up to his massive contract, he is penciled in as the starter. Burning the 10th pick on Mara just doesn't make sense. Doing so would all but necessitate a Turner trade. It's hard to justify that strategy with other glaring roster needs. As disappointing as Turner has been, the Bucks don't need a new center.
Acquiring an additional first-round pick would change the calculus. With two bullets to spend, restocking the backcourt and securing Turner's replacement would be a viable approach. The Bucks could have their cake and eat it, too.
Flexibility to meet roster needs would make Turner dispensable
Adding another top 10 selection would be ideal, but it's not a required element of the strategy. Notably, Miami owns the 13th pick this year. Golden State picks 11th. The Thunder are 12th. Charlotte is 14th.
Some more likely than others - the Heat and Warriors pursued Giannis at the trade deadline - certain of those teams could factor into a Giannis deal either as a direct recipient or a third-party facilitator.
For example, there is a world in which the Bucks take Mara at 10 and Carr a few picks later. Or vice versa. That's just an example.
Even more enticing is a scenario where Milwaukee lands a top-six pick. Keaton Wagler plus Mara sounds just fine.
In that case, if the Bucks believe the former Wolverines champion can be their center of the future, selling low on Turner in the offseason trade market would be a justified sacrifice.
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