The 10 Wildest what-if scenarios in Milwaukee Bucks history

1. Never trading Dirk

The Bucks selected Dirk Nowitzki with the ninth overall pick in the 1998 draft but had a trade worked out with the Mavericks. Milwaukee moved up to sixth overall and took Robert Traylor. It cost them the 19th overall selection, which turned into Pat Garrity. Had they avoided this trade, Dirk would not have been the only rookie first-round pick in the Bucks' training camp for the 1998-99 season.

Traylor lasted just two seasons and 93 games in Milwaukee. The Bucks made the playoffs both years with Ray Allen leading the way, but they were bounced in the first round twice. Imagine Dirk and Allen sharing the floor and bombing triples. They could have changed the NBA and started the 3-point revolution.

It is so hard to imagine Nowitzki wearing a Bucks uniform after he spent his entire 21-year career with the Mavericks. His loyalty and greatness likely would have made Milwaukee a contender in the 2000s. They won just two playoff series in the decade, but Dirk would have changed that for the better.

The Milwaukee Bucks narrowly missed on acquiring several Hall of Famers. If everything broke right, Dirk Nowitzki, Stephen Curry, Julius Erving, Joel Embiid, and Chris Paul would have all played for the franchise. Things certainly would have changed. It never happened, but thinking about what could have been is always a treat.