The Milwaukee Bucks saw their 2024 title hopes come crashing down on Thursday with a gutting loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 6.
As the defeat settles in, the Bucks will now have a much longer off-season than they hoped for, giving the players a chance to recover and the front office to plot their next steps. Though no moves will be coming anytime soon, this roster is destined to go through some changes. That said, let's highlight a few Milwaukee Bucks who almost certainly will not be back in the 414 for the 2024-25 NBA season.
Jae Crowder
Even dating back to last season, the entire Jae Crowder experience has not gone according to plan for the Milwaukee Bucks. The front office traded away five second-round picks, including two to the Brooklyn Nets and three to the Indiana Pacers to shed salary to add a player they thought may be the ultimate missing piece.
On paper, Crowder was what Milwaukee needed, giving them a sturdy wing defender who could take on tough matchups and hit occasional 3-pointers. Unfortunately, he never lived up to that potential in Milwaukee, particularly in his two postseason runs. Even with the Bucks banged up beyond belief at the moment, it was hard for him to get on the floor against the Indiana Pacers at all.
In four playoff appearances this season, Crowder played just 10.5 minutes per game; he didn't even get on the floor for two of the games. The 10.5 mark is the second-fewest of his career, trailing only last year's average of 10.3 per game in the first round against the Miami Heat. He just never had the impact the Milwaukee Bucks expected from a player with his resume and reputation.
It wouldn't be surprising if the two parties went their separate ways this off-season. The Bucks need to focus more on youth rather than a veteran, and Crowder may be looking for an opportunity where he can play minutes on a more consistent basis. It hurts that this one didn't work out, as Crowder had all of the tools to help the Milwaukee Bucks in a big way and they gave up a ton to get him in town.
Danilo Gallinari
Needing some size, the Milwaukee Bucks picked up Danilo Gallinari on a rest of the season contract after the NBA Trade Deadline. It was viewed as a fine move by most at the time, given that he was just going to be an insurance policy. Injuries have thrust him into the lineup quite a bit more than people may have expected, but his role was not been overly prominent.
As highlighted in Crowder's section, the Bucks should be focused on bringing in more youth when the off-season begins, so letting 35-year-old Gallinari go would make sense. Coming off an ACL tear that sidelined him for the entire 2022-23 season and being a 13-year veteran, nobody expected Gallinari to light it up this season, but he put together his least productive year to date.
The Milwaukee Bucks must find youth, athleticism, defense and players who can keep up with pace in the off-season; Gallinari checks off none of those boxes. Long story short, it would be quite shocking to see Gallinari back with the Bucks next season after a rather quiet tenure with the team over these past few months.
It will be interesting to see where Gallinari ends up by the end of the summer.
Malik Beasley
From the beginning, it was widely expected that Malik Beasley would be a one-year rental. He inked a one-year deal worth the veteran's minimum to prove himself and have a shot to earn a bigger deal in the 2025 off-season, something the Milwaukee Bucks likely would not be able to offer him.
From the start, Beasley's role was not exactly what he signed up for. He came on when Jrue Holiday was still the point guard; something that likely lured Beasley was the idea of playing next to a strong defensive guard who could take on the tough matchups. Instead, Beasley got stuck with those hard matchups from the jump, which was a big change in his career.
Still, despite the added responsibility of facing off with top stars, Beasley produced on offense by posting averages of 11.3 points while shooting 41.3 percent from 3-point range. He broke former Bucks guard Ray Allen's record for most games with five or more 3-point makes in a season, so he was clearly doing something right as a Buck.
Someone with cap space will offer Malik Beasley a nice deal. It will not break the bank, but it will be more than what the Bucks could and should offer him. Given the team's current needs, it wouldn't make sense for them to chase after the shooting guard unless he's willing to take another veteran minimum deal, which he almost certainly will not.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.