Unfortunately for the Milwaukee Bucks, their championship hangover kicked in a bit too early in their playoff series defeat by the Boston Celtics. While the trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton all enjoyed some sustained success during their title defense, ultimately their efforts were for naught, making the 2022 NBA offseason crucial to right the ship.
Re-signing both Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton were two highly-important moves that GM Jon Horst helped orchestrate, and keeping key pieces of the core together did not come at the loss of anyone substantial, unlike last season with the departure of P.J. Tucker. But the front office did not quite handle this offseason 100% correctly, leaving some meat left on the bone to address before the opening night.
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Bucks Worst 2022 NBA Offseason Move
Not Trading George Hill
Head coaches seem to have strange draws to certain players in their rotation, and head coach Mike Budenholzer’s crutch looks to be old friend George Hill. Dating back to their days as members of the San Antonio Spurs, both Budenholzer and Hill were important members of the championship-winning squads the franchise turned out on what felt like a regular basis.
But Hill, who has been a member of eight different teams in his NBA career, has found the hill that veterans typically find late in their careers that they ultimately fall off of. Unfortunately for the Bucks, Budenholzer still likes to utilize Hill in a way that gives him far too much playing time, creating a liability when he earns minutes off of the bench.
Granted, Budenholzer likely does not trust Jevon Carter or another backcourt member for Milwaukee to run the offense and orchestrate a scheme, but Hill and his age-36 ways have grown old amongst the Milwaukee fanbase, and the fact that he has not yet been traded/released is a question on the minds of many.
With a fully-guaranteed $4 million salary on the books this season, Hill’s two-year deal is on its final leg, giving the Bucks a chance to potentially move a depreciating asset for pennies on the dollar. Making Hill another team’s problem is the best solution to make sure he is not used too heavily again this season, even if it means attaching an asset or two (Grayson Allen, Brook Lopez, future draft selections) to him just to get him off the team.
Lopez is a valuable asset that is integral to Milwaukee's scheme and success, so the only reason to even listen to a proposal including him would be if a valuable center came back in return, which likely won't happen, making him not an expected add-on alongside Hill in any deal.
Milwaukee has reached this point in their championship window due to smart moves from the front office and building up a core of win-now players around Antetokounmpo. Not moving Hill certainly qualifies itself not as a smart move, and one that could very well hold this team back yet again if he actually makes the opening-night roster to begin this season.
There have not been a ton of foolish moves that Horst has made ever since ascending into the GM chair, so the Milwaukee fan base certainly has a lot to be thankful for in that regard. But holding onto Hill may go down as one of Horst’s most scrutinized choices, especially with how likely (perceived) it would be just to ship him out of town.
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