I'm not going to look it up, but I remember seeing that most of the Bucks future draft picks for the next 5-6 years have been dealt to other teams. So that puts them in a definite bind. Looking at the current team, really their only valuable trade pieces are Giannis and Lillard. So yeah, if they decide to go another direction, their only option will be to trade 1 or both of those guys to do a major rebuild.
It would be the only hope to rebuild from what I can see. Maybe they could hold onto guys like Connie, and Lopez, despite his age. Also, all the lower pay scale guys. With the cap room they'd clear, getting rid of the 3 huge contracts, and adding #1 picks, they could bring in a top level FA or two, and do major improvements that would take a year or two to blossom.
The thing is, they either do it at the end of this year, or they lose all leverage. Lillard has only one more year under contract, and I believe Giannis has an opt out after next year, so you could lose both and get zip for them.
The problem is, if Horst stays, he's going to try to save face, and make it work, and lose these assets without much in return. He threw away the future the day he went all in to get Lillard, when Holiday was by far the better player for the team from a team perspective. The last thing we needed was a pouting super star, and that's what we got.
As far as role players, the majority are aging out on us, and some will decide to go elsewhere instead of sticking with a team that's going to flounder. The only three that I would honestly try to keep would be Lopez, Connaughton, and Portis, because all three of them are pure team players, who will sacrifice their own game to make the team better. They'll never be stars, but they are what's needed to surround stars.
So, what would I look for in picks? I'd be willing to sacrifice for the next draft to get a real haul the following year. I'd say take 2nds for the 2024 draft, and get firsts for the stars in 2025 & 2026. Give away the 2024/25 season to get your own lottery pick in 2025, and sit on top of 3 firsts in each of two years, and possibly give away next year's #2, if we have one, to get a #1 for Middleton in 2026.
That would give you a full nucleus of players in first contracts, young, and the future, along with the better FAs you can afford to grab without the super star contracts we have now. It's just a matter of picking guys that are budding super stars through free agency, and letting them blossom while making mistakes.
Giving away one or two years to become a powerhouse is the way to build a dynasty, if you have coaches and a front office who understands the chemistry of the game. Quite honestly, we don't have that, and Doc Rivers is not the guy to try to reach the promised land with at the helm.
But that's all just my opinion, and all possible. The problem is, they won't think it through. They'll make dumba$$ decisions.
