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 signings are definite upgrades for the Bucks, but here is one big mistake Milwaukee made during 2024 NBA free agency.
Not adding a true big man
Delon Wright, Taurean Prince, and Gary Trent Jr. are all high-level veteran players who will be key contributors for the Bucks this season. But the one thing this trio — and the Bucks roster as a whole — lacks is size. Prince is the tallest of these free-agent signings but stands at 6-6.
After Brook Lopez, the Bucks have no clear option to slot in at the five spot. Giannis can spell Lopez at center, as can the 6-10 Bobby Portis, yet neither are true centers, and moving them to the five spot leaves Milwaukee undersized at other spots on the floor.
Lopez still has value as a three-point shooter and rim protector, but Indianapolis exposed the veteran center defensively by forcing him to defend the pick-and-roll. Lopez lacks the quickness to survive in the P&R, and his drop coverage forced other Bucks defenders to collapse, creating open three-point shots for the Pacers. Having better defenders around Lopez helps quell this issue, but Milwaukee still does not have a true center to slot in for its aging big man.
The 2024 NBA Draft would have been the ideal time to add an athletic big man, with talented youngsters Kel'el Ware, Da'Ron Holmes, and Yves Missi available. But by the time the Bucks were on the clock at pick number 23, all three players were off the board. Instead, the team drafted guard AJ Johnson and forward Tyler Smith. At 6-10, Smith is much more of a stretch four in the mold of Portis than he is a rim-protector like Brook Lopez. Milwaukee also passed on more defensive-minded players in the second round like Adem Bona and Oso Ighodaro available.
The free agent market for defensive-minded big men was much leaner. Still, Milwaukee could have targeted younger free agent big men like Paul Reed, Jalen Smith, or Jalen Wiseman on inexpensive deals. All three players would have provided solid backup minutes for Brook Lopez at the five spot, giving the Bucks more athletic options and better defense from their big men outside the paint.
The free agent signings of Delon Wright, Taurean Prince, and Gary Trent Jr. give the Bucks a solid base of veteran role players to rely on during the postseason, as all three players are solid defenders who can also space the floor. But the one thing none of these new additions can provide is size and defense down low. With Brook Lopez aging out and no clear backup for the seven-footer, the Bucks made a mistake by not looking to add an athletic big man during free agency.
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