After a disappointing 2023-24 campaign, the Milwaukee Bucks have been hard at work when it comes to beefing up their roster for the upcoming season. While they did lose Malik Beasley to the Detroit Pistons in free agency, they managed to bring in Taurean Prince and Delon Wright to help replace him.
For the most part, the Bucks roster is set in stone, but they do have one spot left to fill, and it sounds like they have a plan for how to accomplish that. Milwaukee is looking to bring in another shooting guard to shore up their rotation, which has resulted in them being in the sweepstakes for Gary Trent Jr., while also bringing in veterans like Will Barton for workouts.
“The Bucks are in the market to sign a shooting guard and are expected to conduct a workout this week in Las Vegas. Eleven-year NBA veteran Will Barton will be among the players working out for the Bucks this week, league sources said.”
“Milwaukee is also among several contenders pursuing the top free agent remaining, Gary Trent Jr., league sources said. Trent, the 25-year-old who averaged 13.7 points on 39.3 percent 3-point shooting for Toronto last season, is taking a patient approach to find the best opportunity for his seventh NBA campaign. The Raptors never made an offer for Trent to return this offseason, clearing the way for him to seek a new home.” – Shams Charania, The Athletic
Bucks looking for one more guard to fill out their rotation
Losing Beasley, who shot 41.3 percent on threes last season, certainly hurts the Bucks, and it seems like they are trying to find a way to replace his knockdown shooting. Prince (39.6 percent) and Wright (36.8 percent) can both hit threes at a fairly high level, but in the event they go cold for a stretch of time, having another option in your back pocket is key.
Trent would be the most helpful addition for the Bucks, as he's a solid spark plug scorer who could help take some of the offensive load off of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard's shoulders. Trent wasn't all that effective with the Toronto Raptors last year (13.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.7 APG, 42.6 FG%), but in the right role, he has a lot of value for a championship contender like Milwaukee.
Signing a cheaper veteran could be the more realistic move for the front office as they look to keep their salary as low as possible, which could lead to them going with a guy like Barton over Trent. Barton spent time playing in Spain and Puerto Rico last year, and after proving he's still got some juice left in the tank, he could be precisely what Milwaukee is looking for off of the bench.
Regardless, it doesn't seem like a massive flashy move is in the cards for the Bucks as they attempt to fill out their roster, but given the amount of talented players they already have at their disposal, there wouldn't really be a big move that they have to make anyways. Whether or not Trent, Barton, or another unknown name ends up getting that spot, though, will be a storyline worth watching, and whoever they end up bringing in could have a sneaky important role with the team this upcoming season.
Follow Us
Subscribe
