After consecutive early playoff exits, the Milwaukee Bucks faced a critical offseason. With two more years of Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Khris Middleton under contract, the Bucks had to aggressively build a team for playoff success before their championship window closed for good.
Despite working with limited cap space, the Milwaukee front office made a trio of huge additions in free agency, signing Delon Wright, Taurean Prince, and Gary Trent Jr. on one-year deals. Whether these new players can lead the Bucks to another championship remains to be seen, but they will certainly boost the franchise's NBA title odds. These are the 2024 NBA free agency grades for every Bucks signing.
Delon Wright
With the departure of Patrick Beverley, the Bucks required a facilitator off the bench. Enter Delon Wright. In his ten-year career, Milwaukee will be Wright's eighth stop, but his frequent moves should not detract from his overall value. Delon Wright is efficient on the offensive end floor and a disruptive player defensively.
Wright has an offensive rating of 125 over the last three seasons — nine points higher than Beverley during that stretch. He also shoots the ball at a solid clip — hitting 36.8% of his attempts from beyond the arc last season. ‘
Defensively, the 6-5 guard has the quickness to shut down point guards and the length to cope with shooting guards. He can be a defensive playmaker too, averaging 1.1 steals per game in just over 15 minutes per contest. With 2.6 steals per 36 minutes, the 32-year-old tied for the second-best steal rate in the NBA.
Delon Wright brings the defensive tenacity of Patrick Beverley with more consistent three-point shooting and fewer distractions off the court — making this signing a win for Milwaukee.
Grade: B+
Taurean Prince
The Bucks needed frontcourt depth after adding Delon Wright to shore up the backcourt. While Taurean Prince stands at 6-6, the veteran forward has a 7-foot wingspan and offers defensive versatility to go with solid three-point shooting.
During 2023-24, Prince averaged 8.9 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 1.5 APG while shooting 39.6% from deep and playing 27 minutes per contest. The 30-year-old can play both small and power forward, providing key depth at both positions.
There are concerns about his athleticism, as Prince matches up better against taller wings while occasionally having trouble keeping up with quicker players. But for another veteran minimum signing, Taurean Prince offers an experienced three-and-D presence, making him another strong addition for Milwaukee and the type of player to be a key contributor in the postseason.
Grade: B+
Gary Trent Jr.
Milwaukee's final signing of the summer was also its most impactful. Wing Gary Trent Jr. carried an open market value of around $25 million annually. Instead, he joined the Bucks on a one-year veteran minimum deal totaling just $2.8 million.
Unlike Prince and Wright, Trent is a high-volume shooter and an elite floor spacer, hitting 39.3% of his attempts last year while ranking 36th in total attempts. The Toronto guard averaged 13.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.7 APG, and 1.1 SPG for the year. He is also one of just four players (alongside Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, and Fred VanVleet) to record 500 made three-pointers and 300 steals over the last three seasons.
Trent fills the hole at shooting guard left by Malik Beasley, providing the same level of three-point shooting with more consistency and better defense. While he might not be an elite defender, the 25-year-old's 6-9 wingspan gives the Bucks much-needed backcourt length, and he has the athleticism to succeed on the defensive end of the floor. At $2.8 million this season, the Bucks could not have added a more productive player than Gary Trent Jr.
Grade: A
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