The Milwaukee Bucks do not have many avenues to improve their roster. They did not have a single tradable first-round pick as a result of their trades for Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard over the years. They are also deep in the second apron, which prohibits Milwaukee from signing a player on the buyout market who was making more than the midlevel exception (roughly $12 million).
If the Bucks were to attack the buyout market, their best bets at landing a difference maker are Danuel House Jr. and/or Cory Joseph.
Milwaukee did make moves at the trade deadline, however. They dealt Cameron Payne and a second-round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for Patrick Beverley. They also shipped out Robin Lopez to the Sacramento Kings as a means to free up a roster spot and save some luxury tax money.
Beverley will help, but the Bucks could use more than just him. Players like House Jr. and Joseph could step in right away and contribute to this championship hopeful roster.
Danuel House Jr., Forward
First things first is that the Bucks actually can sign Danuel House Jr. They also could use him. Milwaukee is sparse on wing defenders outside of Jae Crowder and maybe Pat Connaughton, who is already stretched taking on this kind of assignment.
House is not going to make an All-Defensive team by any stretch of the imagination, but he can at least hold his own. That alone would be an upgrade over what many players on the Bucks are providing on that end of the floor.
Danuel House with some solid defense on DeMar DeRozan here.
It'll help the Sixers to just have another wing with decent size (6'6") and strength. pic.twitter.com/iMeqNdKYwN
— Tom West (@TomWestNBA) July 4, 2022
House can also provide some juice on offense. His shooting took a dip this season (30% from three) but he's a career 35.9% shooter from distance. He can also make some plays off the dribble attacking a closeout and exploiting a compromised defense worried about the opposing team's star.
Wrote about this, but a major difference between Danuel House Jr. + P.J. Tucker screening for James Harden above the break is he pressures the defense as a finisher.
Boston ignores him like it does Tucker, but he drives into space, draws help + sets up the Tyrese Maxey 3. pic.twitter.com/F1iZogyQkQ
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) May 10, 2023
This is a very valuable skill to have as a role player playing next to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. House won't score 20 points a night but he can make plays happen on offense that help teams win. The defense gave him a runway to attack on that last clip and he took and turned it into a three for Tyrese Maxey. He'd get plenty of opportunities to do that stuff in Milwaukee.
The Bucks can also offer him familiarity and playing time. Doc Rivers was the head coach of the Sixers team he was on last season and is now the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. It wouldn't be impossible for House to crack Milwaukee's rotation either. He could get steady minutes on a bonafide championship contender. It's hard to ask for much else for Danuel House Jr. and the Bucks can provide it.
Cory Joseph, Guard
Cory Joseph might be a bit redundant after the Bucks traded for Patrick Beverley, but Milwaukee also needs all the depth they can get. Joseph is a solid backup point guard who will defend and is a competent shooter. His three-point percentage dipped down to 31% this season, but he shoots it at a 34.9% clip for his career. That's not great, but it is good enough to stay on the floor in big moments.
Beverley would likely get the nod as the team's backup point guard, but he is also 35 years old. Getting another defensive-minded guard in that mold can't hurt in case he or Lillard or Malik Beasley get injured. Joseph can come in and keep the team humming in a pinch. He'd be a nice get for the Bucks in the buyout market.
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