The Milwaukee Bucks were an exciting team to watch during the season, but their championship defense seems like it is going up in smoke. With a few minor moves and no outside help, there are serious doubts about how well this team will defend its title next year.
The “bucks nba” is a team that has struggled over the past few years. They have not been able to make any significant moves, and are now facing a struggle making any significant moves.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ championship defense did not go as planned. With a defeat to the Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 8, the NBA champions fell to 26–16, fourth in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks have lost three of their last four games, despite being just three games behind the East-leading Chicago Bulls. The Bucks now have a roster slot with the release of DeMarcus Cousins, but can general manager Jon Horst realistically make any deals to improve the team before the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 10?
With three massive contracts and a slew of minimum-wage players, the Los Angeles Lakers are this season’s poster child for a lack of roster flexibility. In terms of an uneven salary-cap sheet, Milwaukee isn’t far behind LA. Horst almost definitely wants to make a trade — there’s no reason to release Cousins, who was having a good season — but he’s limited in his options.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ journey to this point
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Last season, the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA championship after coming from third place in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. When the Miami Heat gave a two-year, $14 million contract to P.J. Tucker, a major acquisition at the NBA trade deadline, they lost him from their championship lineup.
Matching Miami’s offer for Tucker would have cost Milwaukee $7 million in compensation due to luxury tax issues. According to Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype, the true monetary cost would have been more than four times that – $29 million — due to tax issues.
In order to win in the NBA, clubs must either flirt with — or go straight through — the luxury tax apron. The Bucks are more than $20 million above the tax threshold this season. Their tax bill is expected to be about $46.2 million. Consider Giannis Antetokounmpo’s $39.3 million supermax contract to get a sense of the high cost of championship contention.
Milwaukee, like nearly every other club, has suffered significant losses as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19) health and safety procedures. Pat Connaughton leads the team in games played with 39, however he has missed the previous three games due to a recent protocol violation.
Brook Lopez, the center, has only played 28 minutes this season. He’s been sidelined with a back ailment that necessitated surgery since opening night. Due to a knee ailment, All-Star Khris Middleton missed time. Milwaukee has used 18 different starting lineups in 42 games, none of which has lasted more than 16 games.
If winning requires consistency, the Bucks haven’t had much of it.
For the Bucks, a significant NBA trade deadline may be difficult.
Before the NBA trade deadline, can the Milwaukee Bucks obtain any assistance for Giannis Antetokounmpo? | Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
The Milwaukee Bucks have a top-heavy salary, albeit not as dramatic as the Los Angeles Lakers. That might limit their potential to make a significant transaction at the NBA trade deadline, which has been a Horst regular in recent seasons.
The Bucks acquired Tucker from the struggling Houston Rockets last season, sending two first-round selections, as well as rotation players D.J. Augustin and D.J. Wilson, in exchange for Tucker, Rodions Kurucs, and a pair of second-round picks. Tucker and Kurucs aren’t in Milwaukee anymore.
Horst sat out the NBA trade deadline in 2020, a year after George Hill was acquired in a three-team deal for the stretch run.
When a contender searches for a trade around the deadline, it hopes to find the missing piece that will propel the club to victory. Even though he wasn’t a star, Tucker was able to do this for Milwaukee.
It will be tough to find a guy who can make a difference this season. Antetokounmpo, Middleton ($35.5 million), and Jrue Holiday ($32.4 million) are the Bucks’ three highest-paid players. Lopez’s deal is maybe their most tradable. His $13.3 million contract might pave the way for a big transfer. Will another club be willing to take on the $13.9 million commitment for a big guy with a bad back for next season? Not to mention a player who will be 34 at the end of the season?
Milwaukee has inexpensive contracts to enable a deal from there. However, if Horst bundles two or three players in order to get one back, this might have a severe influence on depth. Among the players are:
- Connaughton has a net worth of $5.3 million.
- Donte DiVincenzo (who is currently recovering from ankle surgery and is worth $4.7 million)
- Bobby Portis ($4.3 million) is a major favorite among fans.
- Grayson Allen has a net worth of $4.1 million.
- Hill is worth $4 million.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo (as near to untradable as any back-of-the-rotation player in the NBA), Rodney Hood, Semi Ojeleye, Jordan Nwora, and Wesley Matthews all have minimum salaries owing to them.
The Milwaukee Bucks may be forced to make a trade due to expectations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow KqTszCfs
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Cousins was released by the Milwaukee Bucks on January 5. Horst informed ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the decision was unrelated to Cousins’ performance. Instead, there was a desire to free up a roster space before the NBA trade deadline on February 10th.
“At the end of the day, we made a strategic choice to have an open roster space,” Horst said, “but there’s nothing in the way of us collaborating with DeMarcus again down the line.” “He was fantastic for us, and maybe we were able to assist him as well.”
Cousins landed on his feet, at least temporarily. According to Marc Spears of The Undefeated, Cousins is heading to the Denver Nuggets to talk about a 10-day contract. Nuggets coach Mike Malone coached Cousins in Sacramento as well.
Despite starting the season in third place, the Bucks won the championship in 2021. Milwaukee had an unexpected homecourt advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals thanks to the Atlanta Hawks’ elimination of the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers. The Bucks advanced to the conference finals after winning Game 7 in Brooklyn.
Milwaukee had had the No. 1 seed for the previous two years, but had failed to advance (2019 and 2020).
By creating a roster slot, the Milwaukee Bucks set themselves up to make an impact at the deadline. Horst, on the other hand, will have to thread a fine needle in order to discover a difference-maker without jeopardizing his depth. As we’ve seen in the past, making the incorrect decision at the NBA trade deadline can put a team back years.
Basketball Reference provided the statistics. Spotrac provided contract details.
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