The Milwaukee Bucks did not come anywhere close to accomplishing the goals they had for themselves during the 2023-24 NBA season. After acquiring All-Star point guard Damian Lillard for Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen in a trade with the Portland Trailblazers and Phoenix Suns, many expected them to be one of the most dominant teams in the Eastern Conference.
Of course, that did not end up happening. Due to the trade occurring late in the offseason, Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo did not get a full summer to workout together and build chemistry. As a result, they often did not play off of each other as well as they could or should have. They plan to remedy this particular issue this offseason by spending time together and developing the chemistry that will make them more successful.
The Milwaukee Bucks Dealt with Injuries and Poor Depth
In addition to not having enough time to grow together as a team, the Bucks also faced various challenges throughout the season. First-year head coach Adrian Griffin lost the locker room quickly and was fired midseason despite Milwaukee being 30-13 at the time. He was replaced with Doc Rivers, but the Bucks’ new head coach had to fight an uphill battle on many fronts to finish the season.
In addition to taking over the team midseason, Rivers had the challenge of rarely having his Big Three available for him. In his 36 games as head coach for the remainder of the season, Giannis, Lillard, and Khris Middleton only played together in six games.
Of course, the Bucks lost Giannis for the entirety of their first round loss to the Indiana Pacers due to a soleus strain. Lillard re-injured his Achilles in the series and was severely limited in how he could impact the game as a result. Even though Middleton stepped up and averaged over 24 points against the Packers, he was battling leg injuries of his own.
Without their star players, the poor quality of the Bucks’ bench was exposed as they lost to Indiana in six games. Malik Beasley did not play up to the level of defense they wanted him to, and veterans like Jae Crowder Danilo Gallinari had virtually no impact on the floor.
The Milwaukee Bucks Are Named a Team to Watch for in the Buddy Hield Sweepstakes
As one could have seen from watching the Bucks throughout the season and their first round loss, Milwaukee is in desperate need of retooling their bench. They will probably be in the market for a new shooting guard.
On name that Milwaukee has been linked to in the past is shooting guard Buddy Hield, who would instantly improve both their three point shooting and defense.
As it happens, one NBA insider has said that the Bucks are one of the teams that will be in on trying to sign Hield once free agency opens:
Buddy Hield is expected to receive strong interest from contenders in free agency.
Hield’s elite three-point shooting fits a lot of places, and the price could be as low as the veteran’s minimum.
The Bucks, Magic, Nuggets, Suns and Timberwolves are teams to monitor for Hield. pic.twitter.com/f23jnRllr1
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 6, 2024
As Evan Sidery of Forbes points out, Hield could potentially be signed for as low as the veteran minimum. This is good news for the Bucks because those are the only kinds of contracts they can offer due to their high salary cap.
The Bucks could convince Hield to sign with them using the same way they convinced Beasley to sign last offseason: by offering him an opportunity to start. Additionally, the prospect of competing for a NBA Championship with Giannis and Dame could also be attractive to any free agent.
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