Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Injury May Save The Bucks From Themselves

Losing Giannis Antetokounmpo for different group of weeks whitethorn beryllium nan 1 measurement nan Milwaukee Bucks tin support him successful nan long-term. While that whitethorn look paradoxical, Giannis’ latest calf wounded suffered vs nan Denver Nuggets connected Friday nighttime will push nan franchise successful a clear direction: down.

Or up, if you are looking astatine Tankathon standings. Milwaukee is up to eighth successful lottery likelihood arsenic of Saturday morning, breaking a necktie pinch Memphis acknowledgment to that Denver loss. The Charlotte Hornets, shockingly tin pinch their halfway players each connected nan level together, are only 1 crippled worse than Milwaukee now.

The Bucks’ descent will almost assuredly continue. On nan play Milwaukee has a nett standing of -9.9 erstwhile Giannis is disconnected nan floor, a people which would rank 29th among each teams this season. They’ve been losing games pinch Giannis lately: nan Bucks should person nary problem losing much of them without him.

The metallic lining of this abysmal on-court merchandise is its timing. Milwaukee doesn’t power its ain draught prime successful immoderate play until 2031, but nan stars person aligned for a down twelvemonth successful Milwaukee correct now. The Bucks beryllium a swap, not an outright pick, and nan different prime successful nan switch belongs to New Orleans. 

Milwaukee gets nan worse extremity of nan deal, but acknowledgment to nan Pelicans’ ain atrocious hoops that still equals a apical 10 — aliases amended — pick. (The amended half of nan prime is heading to Atlanta acknowledgment to nan instantly infamous Derik Queen trade, but Atlanta’s fortunes don’t effect nan Bucks astatine all. It’s conscionable their prime aliases nan Pelicans pick, whichever is worse.)

New Orleans has nan second-worst grounds successful nan NBA, without signs of betterment successful caller weeks. Even if nan Bucks ain prime jumped to triumph nan lottery, Milwaukee’s consolation prize would apt beryllium a apical 5 prime anyway. If location was ever a twelvemonth for nan Bucks to perfectly stink successful this decade, it’s 2026.

A reality cheque connected nan waste and acquisition market

The different use of specified an unfortunate wounded to Milwaukee’s superstar could beryllium nan Bucks giving up connected adding talent this NBA Trade Deadline. The Bucks person been linked to a big of names, from Michael Porter Jr., to Ja Morant, to Zach LaVine, to Miles Bridges, et cetera.

Every study astir Milwaukee’s attack to nan deadline has been nan same: nan Bucks want to adhd talent to move their play around. Even nan astir optimistic souls successful Milwaukee’s beforehand agency can’t really judge this team, that has underachieved truthful drastically pinch Giannis, is 1 Zach LaVine (or whoever) distant from making a tally this season. 

I’ve been unfastened to a “win now” move, if nan value is right. Outgoing net successful nan shape of Kyle Kuzma and/or Bobby Portis, possibly Kevin Porter Jr. up of his looming subordinate option, aliases a prime switch to adhd talent is 1 thing. If nan Bucks sent Rollins, aliases an existent first information pick, aliases moreover an added switch connected this year’s pick, they’d apt make marginal astatine champion this play while being moreover much asset-poor successful nan future.

While Bucks GM Jon Horst has successfully convinced Giannis to re-sign aggregate times, he’s usually had nan use of optimism connected his side. Trades for Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard some enticed Giannis to motion connected nan dotted statement — some times earlier nan Bucks really played pinch their shiny caller guard.

Even if Horst acquired a subordinate who Giannis perfectly loved successful nan adjacent 2 weeks, it wouldn’t — couldn’t — lead to a caller hold immediately. Due to nan CBA’s restrictive hold rules, Giannis can’t re-up again until October. So a splashy waste and acquisition wouldn’t conscionable beryllium theoretical. If nan large move didn’t really make nan Bucks immoderate better, Giannis would still person conscionable 1 guaranteed play near connected his contract. And he’d beryllium acutely alert that Milwaukee would person less cards to play successful nan offseason to amended nan roster.

Now, though, if nan Bucks tin clasp onto Giannis done nan waste and acquisition deadline and waste him connected this being a spread year, Milwaukee is group to person existent juice this summer. The Bucks have struggled to adhd worth successful nan draught to beryllium sure, but Milwaukee besides hasn’t picked successful nan lottery for a afloat decade. The franchise’s past apical 10 prime was Thon Maker successful 2016. 

Unless there’s a miraculous improvement among nan non-Giannis Bucks, Milwaukee is now group to beryllium selecting a apical imaginable for nan first clip successful 10 years. The 2026 NBA Draft coming and going besides opens up different early first successful 2033 that could beryllium traded on pinch Milwaukee’s 2031 first information pick. 

Kuzma’s statement descends twelvemonth complete twelvemonth and ends aft 2026-27, truthful Milwaukee would beryllium equipped pinch an expiring deal, 2 early firsts and a early swap, a apical 10 prime successful nan existent draft, positive pieces for illustration Rollins, Green, and Myles Turner to build around.

Is that capable to entice Giannis to enactment successful Milwaukee? That depends connected nan players selected aliases acquired via trade, and which different teams travel calling for nan superstar’s services. There’s nary guarantee, but there’s besides nary guarantee that nan Bucks grinding retired for nan 10th seed would sway Giannis either, moreover if they propulsion it off.

Can't support going down a dormant extremity road

That’s why it’s clip to spell nan different way. Make it clear nan imagination is to compete starting successful 2027. The Bucks tin and should spell moreover farther than conscionable sitting connected their existent picks. Milwaukee’s waiving of Damian Lillard opened up their headdress outlook, and nan Bucks person existent waste and acquisition flexibility. 

Sending players for illustration Gary Trent Jr., Amir Coffey, aliases Andre Jackson Jr. successful speech for bigger expiring contracts and prime compensation to thief teams dodge an apron aliases nan taxation statement altogether should beryllium a privilege now. 

For example, a Gary Trent Jr. return to Toronto successful speech for Ochai Agbaji and nan Lakers 2026 2nd information prime gets Toronto a shooter positive alleviation beneath nan taxation line. Milwaukee would still person astir $9 cardinal successful abstraction beneath nan taxation pursuing that theoretical trade, truthful nan Bucks should really beryllium unfastened for business to adhd immoderate ammo to their warfare chest. 

Outside of immoderate misled assurance successful their existent roster and coaching staff, nan often stated desire of Giannis wanting to triumph more, fast, surely has played a domiciled successful nan Bucks’ continued aggression. That is understandable and possibly moreover admirable, erstwhile nan scheme to accumulate those wins is sound. 

The Bucks existent scheme is intelligibly unsound. If it were a foundation, it’d beryllium crumbling into Lake Michigan by now. Pitching Giannis connected a existent imagination of contending successful Milwaukee again is nan Bucks champion bet. That imagination requires taking a mini measurement backward to past leap ahead. It’s nan only realistic way to keeping Giannis and surrounding him pinch nan talent to compete successful nan East.

If that transportation fails and Giannis decides it’s clip to time off nan only NBA franchise he’s ever known, embracing nan spread twelvemonth is still nan champion move. The Bucks adding a apical prospect, perchance immoderate different draught picks, positive immoderate they’d get successful return for Giannis leaves them pinch their champion way to rebuild for nan franchise’s adjacent era.

Even if it doesn’t lead to Giannis Antetokounmpo remaining pinch nan team, nan scheme for nan Milwaukee Bucks is clear. Take immoderate lumps, lick nan resulting wounds, and get a building from nan franchise’s past: ain nan future.