Torment and disappointment are the two words fans of the Milwaukee Bucks have been associated with since they saw their team win the 2021 NBA Finals. The last three seasons have been nothing short of failure for the Bucks, as a championship turned into an Eastern Conference semifinals defeat, which has now spiraled into back-to-back years of first-round exits from the postseason. There was a clear need for some sort of change this offseason, which is why the Bucks ended up making some small roster adjustments during free agency.
Veterans Jae Crowder and Patrick Beverley were not given new contracts, and sharpshooter Malik Beasley ended up taking a deal with the Detroit Pistons after his one-year stint in Milwaukee.
The Bucks, who entered the offseason already being a second-apron team, were unable to begin this period with an aggressive mindset. General manager Jon Horst and the entire Bucks front office have done a great job of finding value in overlooked, experienced players who want to help make a difference on a contending team. That is why Milwaukee has found success with their minimum contracts through the years.
Once again, the Bucks struck gold in free agency, signing the likes of Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince, and Delon Wright. All three players bring at least six years of experience with them to the Bucks, and more importantly, Milwaukee's new additions can supply head coach Doc Rivers with extra perimeter shooting.
Despite being known as one of the better shooting teams in the league over the years and adding Damian Lillard last season, the Bucks failed to rank inside the top 10 in three-point shooting percentage. That is now expected to change given their new additions, which will prove to be a substantial difference for the Bucks during the 2024-25 season.
Many have called this offseason quiet for the Bucks. However, if you ask anyone within the organization, they will say this summer and the free agency period were all about patience and precision. The one thing that has become clear this NBA offseason is that the Bucks executed their plan perfectly, yet they are still being overlooked because of the attention cast on the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia 76ers.
Bucks' free agency upgrades
Compared to previous years, there was not much happening when NBA free agency began. Paul George obviously signed with the 76ers, and Klay Thompson decided to leave the Golden State Warriors in favor of the Dallas Mavericks, but there weren't that many drastic changes due to all 30 teams around the league being more cognizant of their long-term financial situations.
The Bucks, who have been a second-apron team, faced a situation where dodging the major tax lines was not going to be possible. As a result, this franchise did not have the ability to pursue some of the better names available in free agency. The idea of adding solid secondary talents utilizing the mid-level exception was also out of the picture due to Milwaukee's financial situation.
This resulted in the Bucks having to wait past the first week of free agency in order to figure out which players would become available. More importantly, Milwaukee needed to know which players' value would decline, resulting in them having interest in a minimum contract, which is all the organization could offer.
Trent was one of the casualties of the league's financial rules this offseason, as he has always been a solid secondary player on the perimeter. At first, Trent did not hold any interest in accepting a minimal deal, especially since he was coming off a $51 million contract with the Toronto Raptors. With the market being scarce and no team in the league willing to utilize their full mid-level exception, the 25-year-old was forced to take a smaller contract with the Bucks.
Ultimately, this may end up being a great decision, as Trent has a chance to start on the wing for a team that has high title aspirations.
The same can be said for Prince and Wright, both of whom come to Milwaukee with a lot of experience and can fill key bench roles right away. Prince is a better perimeter shooter than Crowder, and Wright is a better facilitator and shooter than Beverley.
All three of these additions for the Bucks make them a better team, and they were three of the most underrated signings made in NBA free agency this offseason. Just because Trent, Prince, and Wright aren't All-Stars doesn't mean they can't turn out to be the most impactful players on the Bucks during the 2024-25 season, next to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lillard.
Milwaukee has high championship aspirations, and in today's NBA, it takes depth to win a championship. With training camp creeping up around the corner, the Bucks finally look like they have the depth needed to get back to title relevance in the Eastern Conference.
Who will step up for Bucks?
Even with their new free agency additions this offseason, the Bucks are still going to need to look for others to step up on their roster. Khris Middleton, who underwent more ankle procedures this offseason, is a major question mark right now. There is no telling whether or not he will be the same All-Star talent he was when the Bucks won their championship in 2021.
Dame and Giannis are going to do their thing, but who else can help make a difference during the 2024-25 season?
The answer, while buried on the Bucks' roster, is Andre Jackson Jr.
The Bucks acquired Jackson, the 36th overall pick in last year's draft, and had interest in him because of the former UConn swingman's abilities to wear multiple hats. In addition to being a very versatile and athletic defender, Jackson has the ability to spread the floor and help push the pace in transition. Essentially, he fits the mold of the kind of players Milwaukee has been looking to put next to Antetokounmpo through the years.
As a second-round pick entering the NBA, Jackson did not see significant minutes during his rookie campaign. At the same time, he still managed to find himself on the court in 57 total games, gaining valuable experience to help him succeed in his sophomore campaign.
Perhaps this new season will still prove to be a time for Jackson to develop. After all, he is still only 22 years old and just tapping into his potential. But the tools are there for him to take that next step in Milwaukee, especially as a multidimensional defensive weapon next to his team's two primary stars.
Jackson is going to earn the opportunity to see more minutes during the 2024-25 season, and he could prove to be the ultimate X-factor for Milwaukee.
Milwaukee ready to prove doubters wrong
The Bucks traded for Lillard last summer because they saw an opportunity to extend their championship window with Antetokounmpo and Middleton. As long as Giannis is healthy, the Bucks have a chance to be great, which is why Dame being the team's point guard changes the whole dynamic of the roster.
Overall, the 2023-24 season resulted in multiple roadblocks piling up for the Bucks. There was the drama with first-year head coach Adrian Griffin being fired, Middleton constantly being injured, and just the lack of communication between everyone simply causing frustrations to mount.
With a full offseason to reflect on what happened, as well as get used to Rivers' coaching philosophy, we are prepared to see a different version of the Dame-Giannis duo we saw be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. This is a revenge season for the Bucks players, yet management still fully believes the core of this roster is as good as any other in the NBA.
“Honestly, it’s just whether or not those other teams belong in the conversation with us,” Horst told The Athletic's Eric Nehm when questioned about the hierarchy of the Eastern Conference. “We’re the winningest team in the league and the conference the last seven or eight years. We still have our place there. We still have the best player in the world. We’ve got two top-75 players as our lead duo. We gotta be healthy. We gotta be lucky. We gotta be good. We’re definitely good enough.
“I mean, it’s an incredibly tough conference and tough league. You’re just talking about the East, which is great, but the West has gotten a lot better too. And whether it’s they belong with us, we belong with them, we’ll all figure it out together.”
While losing in the first round of the playoffs in back-to-back seasons as a title-contending threat is not ideal whatsoever, this may have been a blessing in disguise for the Bucks. This organization has dealt with a slew of injuries, and having time to mentally prepare themselves for another championship journey is exactly what the Bucks have been in need of.
The constant pressure of having to be the top team in the conference is a burden. Now, the Bucks can enter the 2024-25 season as the hunter instead of the hunted for once, allowing Antetokounmpo and Lillard to play like the All-NBA performers we have become accustomed to seeing over the last decade.
Even though the Celtics, Knicks, and Sixers seem like the three-best teams in the East, don't sleep on the Bucks.
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