Ranking the Milwaukee Bucks' offseason retoolings post-championship

No. 1 - 2023 offseason

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For most of the 2023 offseason, it felt like the Milwaukee Bucks were taking a similar approach to the 2022 offseason, except with a new coach at the helm. Their primary focus was bringing back familiar faces while tweaking around the edges. Of course, things ended up getting far crazier than that over the summer. The star power and youth they added/retained lands this offseason at No. 1.

The good: Trading for Damian Lillard, re-signing Khris Middleton, re-signing Brook Lopez, extending Giannis Antetokounmpo, signing Malik Beasley, drafting Andre Jackson Jr., drafting Chris Livingston, re-signing AJ Green

Many would put the Damian Lillard trade in the mixed slot. Sure, things didn't go according to plan in his first season, but the Bucks didn't add him for one season. Lillard should be much better this year, and if he looks like the Damian Lillard of old, the Bucks will be justified in trading away two starters in Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen and draft capital.

The Damian Lillard trade led to Giannis Antetokounmpo adding three more years to his own contract, and it's always nice to know the franchise cornerstone is sticking around. Losing Khris Middleton or Brook Lopez for nothing would have been devastating, so while the Bucks gave them a lot of money, they really didn't have much of a choice from a team-building perspective.

Malik Beasley was given a completely different role after the Lillard trade went down, but on a deal worth the veteran's minimum, he was still a strong pickup. Starting for most of the year, he had the best 3-point percentage of his career, which was good value.

The Bucks also did a lot for their youth this offseason. Re-signing Green for cheap was a good move, and the hope is he can leap into the rotation. Draft picks Andre Jackson Jr. and Chris Livingston both check off boxes for the Bucks in terms of athleticism and defense, and the hope is that they can be in the rotation in time because of those attributes.

These moves allowed Milwaukee to keep contending in the moment while also adding youth to try and extend the title window.

The bad/mixed: Hiring Adrian Griffin, signing Robin Lopez, re-signing Jae Crowder, signing Cam Payne

While there were plenty of good things to come out of this offseason, the bad still loomed large for the Milwaukee Bucks in one massive regard.

Hiring Adrian Griffin was a puzzling move from the start. While he may have been a decent coach in time, the Milwaukee Bucks didn't have time to wait. A rookie head coach didn't make much sense for a team needing to win now, and management clearly realized that far too late, opting to fire him before his first season even ended. It's certainly a blemish for the Bucks.

In free agency, the signings of Robin Lopez, Jae Crowder and Cam Payne never moved the needle. Lopez and Payne didn't make it past the trade deadline, and Crowder got hurt early in the season, never finding his place in the rotation upon returning. All on minimum deals, it didn't hurt too much.

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