One thing painfully apparent in the Milwaukee Bucks' playoff series against the Pacers was their lack of a second option on offense after Damian Lillard tore his Achilles. Gary Trent Jr. stepped up to fill that role in Games 3 and 5, but the fact that he had to indicates how devoid the roster is of realistic scoring threats.
Even if the Bucks re-sign Trent this summer, they will need to add another piece to be competitive while Lillard recovers. In the epitome of a win-now move, one way to make that happen involves dealing Kyle Kuzma to the Kings for DeMar DeRozan.
Bucks could use DeRozan's scoring punch and offensive engine
The obvious drawback of a Kuzma-DeRozan deal would be exchanging a 29-year-old for a player who turns 36 in August. That hardly fits Milwaukee's vision of a younger, more athletic roster. As the Bucks learned post-trade deadline, however, having Kuzma on the team is a major drawback in itself.
As for the Kings, reports indicate that they are looking to move DeRozan. If they intend to enter a retooling phase, getting worse while netting draft capital serves their interests in a dual fashion. Particularly given DeRozan's age, the price shouldn't be all that high despite his value.
One thing DeRozan would not do is provide any upgrade in outside shooting, as he hit threes at just a 32.8 percent clip last season, right in line with his average across the past four years. Still, his midrange game - Kuzma has no semblance of one - makes him a productive scorer even at this stage of his career.
In year 16 for Sacramento, DeRozan averaged 22.2 points and 4.4 assists per night. Despite the criticism he has taken for his supposed inefficiency, he remains a valuable asset, accruing 7.1 win shares last season.
DeRozan has also been extremely durable, playing at least 74 games every season since 2021-22. If the Bucks do attempt to bring in another volume scorer, whoever it is, durability will be a critical consideration. It will do them no good if the player they acquire to fill Lillard's absence is frequently sidelined. Still lethal in the clutch, like Lillard, DeRozan can take over at the end of games if need be, preventing the defense from swarming Giannis Antetokounmpo to stunt the Bucks' possessions.
Especially as a secondary weapon, he can legitimately serve as a core piece of a contending team. In Toronto, San Antonio and Chicago, DeRozan often had to be the head of the snake (Even with the Bulls, co-star Zach LaVine was frequently injured). In Milwaukee, the presence of Giannis leaves no doubt about who runs the show. DeRozan could slide nicely into the sidekick role.
Due to positional fit (both players are small forwards) and salary, Kuzma is the only viable trade chip unless the Milwaukee Bucks wanted to combine, for example, Pat Connaughton and Bobby Portis. Moving Kuzma specifically should be a priority, anyway. Both he and DeRozan have two years and similar money left on their contracts, so from a financial standpoint, the swap would be a neat one.
Of course, dumping Kuzma for a player of DeRozan's caliber carries a cost. In the short term, the Bucks' main sacrifice would be this year's pick, which they could use on an NBA-ready player to fill out the back end of the rotation. If the Bucks can hold onto Giannis and the front office commits to a win-now mindset, though, pursuing an immediate upgrade at the expense of future assets will be unavoidable. Among available impact players, DeRozan should have a buyer-friendly price tag.
Adding a 35-year-old isn't ideal, but nothing about Milwaukee's situation is. Assuming a healthy roster, a Kuzma-DeRozan trade would almost surely give the Milwaukee Bucks a better shot come playoff time next season.