Despite all of the offseason changes the franchise made over the summer, the Milwaukee Bucks find themselves playing no better or no worse than they did a year ago. The team sits at 28-13, with a winning percentage that is just a hair lower than what the Bucks achieved in 2022-23.

Damian Lillard has been very good for the Bucks, but he has not quite played at the elite level he demonstrated in Portland. Lillard is averaging 25 points per game in Milwaukee after posting 32.2 PPG a year ago. That dip is expected given the number of scorers in the Bucks offense. But more worrying is the fact that his field goal percentage is down to 42.7% this season after sitting at 46.3% last year.

With the addition of Lillard, the Bucks offense improved by 5.8 points per 100 possessions in 2023-24. That jump is nearly canceled out by a 5.5-point regression per 100 possessions on the defensive end. The tradeoff of defense for offense was expected when the franchise swapped five-time NBA All-Defensive Team nominee Jrue Holiday for Lillard. But most experts anticipated that Lillard's scoring prowess would be enough to overcome the absence of such an impactful player on the other end of the floor. So far, there has been no net gain for Milwaukee.

With the NBA Trade Deadline coming up on Thursday, February 8, the Bucks must be on the market for perimeter defenders — specifically wing players.

Jrue Holiday, Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics

Defensive-minded wings

Looking at the offense-defense tradeoff between Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday, it is clear that so far it has been an even exchange. Lillard's offensive rating in Milwaukee is six points better per Holiday's ORTG in his last season in a Bucks uniform, but his defensive rating is seven points worse per 100 possessions than Holiday's.

With Lillard in the lineup, the team expected more from secondary players to step up as defenders. That has not happened yet. The team is missing Jevon Carter, a tenacious point guard who signed with the Chicago Bulls in free agency. Plus, Jae Crowder missed more than two months with an injury — only returning this week.

One player linked with the Bucks ahead of the trade deadline is Quentin Grimes of the New York Knicks. The versatile 6-5 guard has the athleticism and size to guard multiple positions and is also a career 38% three-point shooter.

Another three-and-D option is Torrey Craig. Craig spent last season with the Phoenix Suns and played 18 games with the Bucks in 2020-21 before settling in with the Chicago Bulls this year. At 6-7, Craig matches up well with some of the taller scorers in the league and is shooting 39% from beyond the arc over his last two seasons. The Bulls are currently outside of the playoff spots in the Eastern Conference and could become sellers if they cannot turn their season around.

One final player to target is Reggie Bullock. The 10-year veteran has not seen the floor much for the rebuilding Houston Rockets this season but started 55 games a season ago for the Dallas Mavericks. He has the requisite three-and-D skills while providing some veteran leadership on a young Bucks bench.

The Bucks have shown that they still have the offensive firepower to outscore teams. But to achieve playoff success, Milwaukee needs to make improvements on the defensive end. With the trade deadline approaching, one or two moves could make or break the team's season.