7 Potential free agent targets for Bucks with ties to Damian Lillard

The Milwaukee Bucks will aim to retool their roster this off-season to complement their leading trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton under the guidance of Doc Rivers.

Upon coming over last off-season, it was crystal clear that Lillard was the new kid in town, not having chemistry with anyone on Milwaukee's roster. As the front office looks to get him acquainted with the way they like to do things over the course of an off-season, a luxury they did not have last year, they could target players Lillard has experience playing alongside. Let's look at seven free-agent options.

Patrick Beverley

This is the obvious one. Although they butted heads plenty of times in the past, Lillard and Beverley joined forces in Milwaukee and put their differences aside this past season. They were a nice pairing in the backcourt, with Lillard primarily focusing on offense while Beverley brought his trademark play on the defensive end. Perhaps the partnership could extend for another year.

Of all of Milwaukee's soon-to-be free agents, Beverley is the one they should focus on retaining the hardest. The team's need for perimeter defense will not be going away, so bringing back one of their better players in that regard would be easily justifiable. On top of that, he's already proven he fits with this roster and its core components.

If the Bucks can convince Beverley to return on a short-term, team-friendly deal, it would be rather low-risk as they aim to bulk up the defense. Yet, heading into NBA Free Agency, there are question marks as to whether Beverley would be willing to take a discount to return to Milwaukee, so it's far from a guarantee that these two will share the floor as teammates next season.