The Milwaukee Bucks’ recent run this season has been very frustrating, to say the least. As it stands, things might become more complicated as three key players could leave in free agency, including Patrick Beverley.
Last season, the Bucks finished on top of the Eastern Conference with a record of 58 wins and 24 losses. The thing is, that lineup headlined by All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton wasn’t enough to prevent Milwaukee from being eliminated in the first round by the Miami Heat.
In response, the Bucks’ front office traded Holiday for Damian Lillard and signed Malik Beasley in free agency. The wisdom in these signings was to give Antetokounmpo sufficient shot creation without him shouldering all of the team’s offense.
Although that worked during the first half of the season, Milwaukee’s defense plummeted. This led the franchise to replace Adrian Griffin with Doc Rivers to address that part of their game. They also acquired Patrick Beverley to boost their defense after the All-Star break.
Unfortunately, none of those moves translated well on the court at the Bucks were eliminated in the first round for the second consecutive year. As such, the front office will have to make hard decisions during the offseason to come up with a better roster.
Why The Milwaukee Bucks Could Lose Malik Beasley, Jae Crowder, and Patrick Beverley in Free Agency
After the Bucks’ disappointing season, the current lineup may cease to exist soon. This is what Bobby Marks noted in his analysis for ESPN about Milwaukee’s offseason plans:
“The Bucks could lose Beasley, Crowder and Beverley to free agency, because they are over the apron and cannot offer a starting salary of $4.0 million to each player. How Milwaukee replaces the 23.5 points per game and 110 starts that group made this season will come down to two options. The first is signing players to the one-year veterans minimum. The downside of that strategy would be having to go through the same process next offseason,” Marks wrote.
Although each player brings something solid to the table, there are several arguments to let them walk away in free agency. Beverley’s stunts may have caused the team more harm than good. Crowder isn’t the same 3-and-D player he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers or Phoenix Suns before. Malik Beasley’s fit with Lillard is questionable as both guards are known scorers.
It remains to be seen what the Bucks will do with these three in the coming months. What’s certain, though, is that Antetokounmpo is the lone player the front office can’t deal. As such, they have to exhaust all means to surround him with better talent.
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