Bucks Roundtable: Offseason moves, bold predictions, early trade targets and more
By Dalton Sell
With the 2024-25 NBA season nearing, it's time for another Milwaukee Bucks roundtable.
As is tradition, the Behind the Buck Pass staff has come together to give their thoughts on the main questions surrounding the team after a busy offseason. Usernames on X, formerly known as Twitter, will be included next to names. With that said, let's dive right in.
What letter grade would you give the Bucks' offseason and why?
Dalton Sell (@sell_dalton): A. With very little assets and spending money, the Milwaukee Bucks still managed to upgrade their roster from how they looked at the end of last season. Delon Wright and Taurean Prince fit seamlessly, and Gary Trent Jr. is arguably the biggest steal of free agency across the league. The draft picks will take time to develop, but the potential is unquestionably present.
Will Moxon (@moxon_will): A- because the Bucks addressed all their needs with a good defensive backup PG in Delon Wright who also does not turn the ball over. Taurean Prince is likely the Jae Crowder replacement but expected to play a bigger roll, and then Gary Trent Jr. is a great addition to bolster the backcourt but also provide some offense. Getting those 3 guys on minimums is an absolute steal. The draft I think will be good in the long run but for now not too sure how impactful AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith will be this season.
Aitor Darias (@aitor_darias): I give the Bucks a B+. I think every player signed in free agency is an improvement over last year’s equivalent, but the roster is structured in the same way so, as we saw, can get very exploitable on defense and struggle in some matchups. They had a pretty hard offseason ahead given how handcuffed they were with the salaries, though, and that needs to be taken into account.
Rudy LB (@authorrudylb): B. Considering they didn’t have a ton of cap space to add much, I thought Horst really did a good job of remaking the identity of this team. Conversely, there is a reason Taurean Prince and Gary Trent Jr. weren’t overly pursued: on both of those guys, you are hoping to hit on one. This even might be an “addition by subtraction” type off-season. Getting rid of some of the guys the Bucks got rid of might really help. (Crowder, Pat Bev).
Tyler Schickert (@tschicket13): A-. The addition of Gary Trent Jr. sealed the deal for the Milwaukee Bucks having what I would consider to be a successful offseason. They got significantly younger between the draft, free agency and allowing some of their journeyman veterans to become free agents. Delon Wright was a good start and the Taurean Prince signing is an underrated move that is actually a very good fit.
Franco Luna (@francoovrboard): While the Bucks didn't make any blockbuster trades and missed out on some potentially key pieces, they addressed their needs in a calculated manner and maintained their championship window. The fact that they were able to get high-value pieces like Taurean Prince, Gary Trent Jr., and Delon Wright on minimum deals is a testament to the pull the Bucks still have around the league. I think that the front office's ability to retain their core, improve their defensive depth, and position themselves for another successful season should speak for itself. It's an A- for me.