The Milwaukee Bucks are in serious need of roster adjustments after their poor finale to the 2023-24 NBA season. Of course, “disappointing” might be the adjective used to characterize the Bucks’ season as a whole. After dismissing Mike Budenholzer, who helped bring an NBA Championship to Milwaukee for the first time in 50 year, Adrian Griffin was meant to get Milwaukee back on track. Instead, he ended up fired himself midway through the season.
In the same manner, moving the ever-popular Jrue Holiday for perennial All-Star Damian Lillard was meant to propel the Bucks back into title contention. Unfortunately, it did not happen either. Milwaukee floundered towards the conclusion of the season and Giannis Antetokounmpo was injured, missing the entire series against the Indiana Pacers.
Now, the Bucks confront another hard summer and uncertainties about how best to develop their roster. While it is evident that their best prospects of winning rest in Giannis and Lillard establishing greater chemistry and spending a complete offseason together, there are others who think the Bucks would be better served dealing their star point guard.
In a recent article released by Fadeaway World, NBA expert Fran Leiva advises that the Bucks transfer Lillard to the Orlando Magic, one of the up-and-coming clubs in the Eastern Conference, in return for multiple players and first round draft picks:
“Damian Lillard could be the perfect fit for Orlando. Lillard’s leadership, clutch performance, and scoring ability would give the consistency and experience required to complement Banchero and Franz Wagner. The Magic have been connected to free agents like Klay Thompson and Paul George, underlining their desire to add a senior star to their team. Adding Lillard would meet this requirement while fitting with their aim of creating a competitive squad around their young players.
“On the other hand, the Bucks would benefit significantly from this trade. Cole Anthony, Jonathan Isaac, Mo Wagner, the 2024 No. 18 pick, and two more first-round selections would provide Milwaukee with a combination of instant impact players and priceless future assets. While Jonathan Isaac shows remarkable defensive potential and flexibility despite his history of injuries, Cole Anthony has showed promise as an explosive guard. Mo Wagner gives the frontcourt size and depth.
Although the Bucks have traded or shipped most of their first round selections away, the possibility of gaining two more is exciting, but it appears like Orlando gains more from this move than Milwaukee does.
Lillard was only signed by Milwaukee with the intention of winning an NBA Championship. Even if Holiday ultimately prevailed in the end, the Bucks’ objective remains unchanged: to win several championships while Giannis Antetokounmpo is still with the team. It was a risky decision to bench Holiday in favor of Lillard, but it demonstrated the Bucks’ commitment to consistently competing for a championship. For Giannis, who is without a doubt the team’s top player, this is what matters most. The two-time NBA MVP would probably consider a deal with the Bucks to be a departure from their standard of greatness and would even ask for a move himself.
Even though the 2023–24 season was unpleasant, there were positive aspects to work on. Among them is the evolving partnership between Giannis and Lillard.