The Milwaukee Bucks showed first-year head coach Adrian Griffin the door on Tuesday afternoon after just 43 games with the team and reportedly replaced him with NBA champion coach Doc Rivers the next day. The news came somewhat as a shock considering the Bucks had the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 30-13 and boasted the No. 2 offense in the NBA. However, Griffin's firing has apparently been brewing in Milwaukee for quite some time now.
This has been dating back to after the Bucks lost to the Indiana Pacers in the In-Season Tournament in Las Vegas. According to a report by The Athletic, that's when “internal skepticism grew regarding Griffin’s ability to lead.” Griffin's firing likely also stemmed from the Bucks' fall from grace defensively and his mismanagement of Damian Lillard in his offense. Over time, the Bucks reportedly tuned out the 49-year-old and the rookie coach eventually lost the Bucks locker room, leading to his dismissal.
With Griffin no longer in charge, the Bucks now pivot to a more experienced mentor on the sidelines. Doc Rivers doesn't necessarily carry the best reputation due to his dismal playoff track record. But the one-time NBA champion could still command more respect in the Bucks locker room, something that Griffin was reportedly unable to do being a first-time coach.
Replacing Griffin with Rivers, however, still won't fix Milwaukee's pressing issues. The Bucks are still a heavily-flawed roster with clear holes defensively. Bucks GM Jon Horst should continue monitoring the trade market for upgrades, which should be a challenge considering the Bucks don't have much assets at their disposal.
Nonetheless, here are the best trades the Bucks can make after hiring Doc Rivers to replace Adrian Griffin.
Bucks trade for Matisse Thybulle
The Bucks are reportedly looking to package veteran wing Pat Connaughton and reserve point guard Cameron Payne to bulk up their playoff rotation and address their defensive deficiencies. Among the potential targets identified by Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer is Portland Trail Blazers wing Matisse Thybulle, who spent about half a season with Lillard in Portland.
Much of the Bucks' defensive struggles stem from their lacking perimeter defense and a lot of it has to do with their personnel. With that said, Thybulle is exactly the player the Bucks need as a point-of-attack defender.
Thybulle has firmly established himself as one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. He has sound defensive fundamentals and has a knack of playing the passing lanes and being disruptive on defense. In fact, Thybulle leads the league in deflections per 36 minutes and has the second-most total deflections in the NBA just behind Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Where Thybulle is lacking, however, is on the other end of the floor. As strong as he is defensively, the 26-year-old has been a non-factor on offense through much of his career. He owns career averages of 4.7 points on 44.2 percent shooting from the field and 34.1 percent from beyond the arc. However, he has been relatively efficient from long distance since arriving in Portland last season, where he is shooting 37.4 percent, though still on low volume.
Regardless, if the Bucks are able to land Thybulle in a trade, his defensive contributions would more than outweigh his lack of offense.
Bucks trade for Royce O'Neale
Brooklyn Nets wing Royce O'Neale has been one of the more popular trade targets for the Bucks. In fact, we've previously identified the 30-year-old as someone who Milwaukee can trade for even early into the campaign.
The Nets are going nowhere this season with a 17-26 record and could potentially become sellers at the deadline if they continue to tack on the losses. O'Neale is among Brooklyn's veterans that several other teams are keeping their tabs on.
O'Neale is only earning $9.5 million this season, which makes him an attainable target for just about any team in the league. Milwaukee could send Connaughton along with a second round pick to Brooklyn to acquire the seven-year veteran.
O'Neale is a solid 3-and-D player who could help the Bucks address their defensive issues. He isn't as disruptive and athletic as Thybulle on that end of the floor, but he is a much better option from beyond the arc, being a career 38.0 percent three-point shooter.
However, O'Neale's numbers have taken a dip in 2023-24 as a result of decreased playing time. On the year, he is averaging 7.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while shooting just 35.6 percent from three, which matches his career-low in a season.
Despite his shooting woes this season, he should benefit from having more open looks should he get the chance to play with Antetokounmpo and Lillard.
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