The Milwaukee Bucks are currently experiencing a much earlier start to the 2023 NBA offseason than they expected. Coming into the 2023 NBA Playoffs as the No. 1 overall seed and having Giannis Antetokounmpo finishing arguably his best season yet, the Bucks had NBA Finals aspirations on their mind. The Miami Heat quickly silenced those thoughts, beating the Bucks in five games to pull off the shocking upset as the No. 8 seed. The Bucks were without Giannis midway through the first quarter of Game 1, and then Games 2 and 3, but the Bucks surely expected to still win the series. They were able to show their usual selves in Game 2 on track to a dominating win, however it would be their last victory of the series. Now, the Bucks are watching the rest of the 2o23 NBA Playoffs from home.

Albeit being knocked out, the Bucks have a pretty loaded roster and are coming off of yet another great regular season. Not to mention, Giannis Antetokounmpo is only going to get better. so they will not be going anywhere anytime soon. However, it is clear they need to do something, or else they would be competing for an NBA Finals ring. Looking ahead to this summer, there are multiple possible trade scenarios the Bucks could involve themselves in to help improve the roster. In particular, there are two trade targets the Bucks need to go after. So, who are those players?

Here are two early Bucks trade targets in the 2023 NBA offseason

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DeMar DeRozan

Chicago Bulls EVP Arturas Karnisovas claimed that he has no intention of initiating a rebuild of the current roster. However, anybody in tune with the current NBA understands that no iteration of the current Bulls roster is going to compete for an NBA championship. The Milwaukee Bucks should emphasize this to Karnisovas and sweeten the pot just enough to convince him to trade DeMar DeRozan. With DeRozan on the Bucks, they immediately become NBA Finals favorites. He would by far be the best teammate Giannis has ever had, and would fit in perfectly within the culture Giannis has established.

There are a few reasons DeRozan is a perfect fit for the Bucks. One, he is one of the best players in the entire NBA at getting to his spot and converting in the clutch moments. He was a finalist for the inaugural NBA Clutch Player of the Year, yet it was just more of the same for a player that has been clutch his entire career. Giannis is the only player on the Bucks that can truly be trusted in those moments, and with or without him in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, it still wasn't enough. Adding DeRozan would add a whole new element to a Bucks team late in the fourth quarter.

The primary reason DeRozan would be a perfect fit for the Bucks is his mentality. Giannis and DeRozan both hail from the school of Mamba, thus being perfect potential teammates. Additionally, DeRozan has yet to win a ring in his career, and he will never be able to win one alone. DeRozan would jump at the opportunity to win with Giannis, as despite how good the Greek Freak is and the fact he can be the best player on a championship team, he will be just as hungry to win another. They would become the most feared duo in the NBA, simply because of their drive to win games. Forget the fact DeRozan would be an elite scorer joining an already elite team, him and Giannis could be a pairing that would simply refuse to lose.

Kawhi Leonard

This one is much more of a long shot than going out and getting DeMar DeRozan, but it makes sense. The Kawhi Leonard era with the Los Angeles Clippers should be over, as his inability to stay healthy is plaguing the current team. Not to mention, fellow Clippers star Paul George can't seem to stay healthy either, creating the most disappointing superteam in the modern NBA. Although both have the potential to return to elite form, the Clippers can't rely on two injury prone stars in a league where every season teams improve and players emerge. The Clippers need to start thinking about the future, and the haul they could get for Kawhi Leonard would guarantee the assets needed to build a star roster within an immediate timeframe.

Although the haul would be almost every asset the Bucks have, pairing Kawhi Leonard with Giannis Antetokounmpo could essentially guarantee a championship, barring Leonard stays healthy. The Bucks could afford a deal like this, because at the end of the day, any team with Giannis is going to compete. Even if the Bucks did nothing this offseason, the Bucks will be NBA Finals contenders again in 2024; Giannis is going to be better and continue to defy NBA standards on an already strong roster. If they traded for Kawhi Leonard and gave up an arm and a leg in the meantime, they would still have a fighting chance even if Leonard gets hurt. If Leonard stayed healthy, the rest of the league could essentially mail it in.

It is awfully lofty to just guarantee a championship, but the winning mentality and execution that Leonard and Giannis have already demonstrated would make them ridiculous to bet against. They both have shown they can be the number one option on a championship team, only joined by LeBron James and Stephen Curry in that category amongst NBA players. Pairing them together would be so feared that the aforementioned pairing of Giannis and DeRozan would look docile compared to it. Again, the assets needed to pull off such a deal would essentially jeopardize the future of the Bucks organization. If Kawhi Leonard stays healthy alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, multiple NBA rings would make up for any lean years down the line.