During Summer League, Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst sat down with reporter Eric Nehm of The Athletic to disucss what the team has done so far and what further moves they’ll make before the season starts.
“The thing that I’m as excited about or more excited about is that we’re not done,” Horst said. Given his track record, that’s probably true, but the Bucks have limited options left. Especially at this juncture, there’s really only one avenue to accomplish any needle-moving maneuver.
Milwaukee Bucks Making Major Move Before Next Season Would Be Pulling Rabbit Out of Hat
Wednesday, the Bucks re-signed forward Chris Livingston to a one-year deal after he impressed during Summer League. They also plan to bring back Thanasis Antetokounmpo, per reports. The roster is full; including Andre Jacskon Jr., Milwaukee has 16 viable guys to plug in 15 slots.
They’ll also have three two-way contracts to work with during the regular season. That’s the main area to iron out as training camp and preseason action looms. Supposedly, the Bucks could back out of the Thanasis talks – how would Giannis take that? – and cut Jackson to create an extra spot. Realistically, though, any additional adjustments will have to come via trade.
To bring in an impactful player, someone worth more than a league minimum salary, the Bucks have one pathway: trading Kyle Kuzma. Unfortunately, he’s a negative asset unlikely to attract interest in and of himself. In any version of a Kuzma trade, Milwaukee would have to package young players and/or that 2031 first round-pick, with or without protections.
A few potential trade partners linger. The Bucks could try to swing a deal with the Kings for a guy like Malik Monk. Now that they have Cole Anthony, however, that makes a lot less sense.
Small Forward Targets in Kyle Kuzma Trade Scenario
The real roster hole is at small forward. Could that interest the Heat in an Andrew Wiggins deal? Pat Riley drives a hard bargain. Probably not, at least not in any trade package the Bucks could stomach.
The Pelicans are not entertaining the notion of trading Tre Murphy or Herb Jones. Toronto’s RJ Barrett is a potential target, but he isn’t worlds different from Kuzma. His slightly better shooting and superior playmaking skills would provide an upgrade, but probably not one worth the price.
Jonathan Kuminga is another name linked to Milwaukee; for the time being, though, he is poised for a return to Golden State. Anyway, his inefficient shooting – even worse last season than Kuzma’s numbers after he came to the Bucks – makes him an undesirable fit when Horst would have to sacrifice valuable assets to get him.
As in the Myles Turner signing, Horst could pull off something in the dark, but on the surface there isn’t much left to do this summer outside of a Kuzma package. At the moment, that scenario doesn’t seem to be gaining traction.
If the Bucks make another splash, it’s probably going to be in February, when the trade market has reshaped itself through half a season. Horst referenced this possibility in the interview.
“That was just the offseason,” he said of Milwaukee’s moves so far. “Then we’re gonna have a training camp, and we’re going to be evaluating our roster. We’re going to be evaluating our talent, and we are going to build up toward a trade deadline…we’re going to try to have an amazing trade deadline also.”
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