Bucks News, Transactions and Trade Ideas - 2025 Off-season

[Turk Nowitzki]

I get it guys. GA is my favorite athlete ever and I doubt he’s surpassed in my lifetime. And if he is adamant about staying, you probably keep him. But there is zero chance we can build a title contender with our current situation. And if you do wait, you are looking at probably the longest turnaround to contention in NBA history.

How quickly everyone wants to return to what this franchise was like pre Giannis is amazing to me. I'll hold onto the best Bucks player in franchise history as long as he wants to be here.

[rilamann]

I’ll honestly be shocked if Doc gets fired.

Like I was saying earlier today before the game, it would be a pretty massive curve ball to me if Doc gets fired.

I think he's safe.

If Doc is still the Buck's head coach by the end of this week. 100% chance he's our coach next season.

[midranger]

Trading Giannis for a pupu platter of mid to late first round picks is pretty much worst case scenario.

You either get the blue chip, proven guys or don’t entertain a trade.

[yb90]

Just thinking out loud here.

Must keep guys:
Giannis
KPJ
Sims
Green
Rollins

I’d prefer they keep Trent if possible, but I don’t see a mechanism while signing KPJ.

Bobby and Brook gotta be gone I’d guess. Maybe Bobby stays on another sweetheart deal. I think Tyler Smith showed some potential this year to big the stretch 4 replacement guy instead of Bobby.

I think we’re stuck with Dame and Kuzma, unless Miami wants to throw all their terrible expiring deals at us for those two, on the hope of a full Dame recovery/quick rebuild.

Pat has no value so he’s here.

I actually liked what I saw from Nance and would give him a partially guaranteed deal as a live body big.

I want to see it with both AJ Jackson and Chris Livingston, but I just don’t. I guess, I’d hope one of them could become a rotation piece, because they’ll both be on the team given our contract situation. Maybe we can swap one for a shooter.


Ultimately we’d look like this,

KPJ
Green
Kuzma
Giannis
Sims

Rollins
Jackson
Pat/Livingston
Smith
Nance

Spacing is a nightmare, but you can squint and see a quality defensive and transition team. You would need an incredible coaching job, a great pickup on a minimum contract contributor, and maybe stealing a piece in a small trade.

Feels impossible, but in 2019 we won 60+ games with Giannis and Khris (stolen piece in a small trade), Brook (great pickup on minimum contract), Pat (great pickup on a minimum contract), and a new coach who did an incredible job that year.

No need to give Nance a roster spot, he signed a 2 year 2 way. Bobby is the starting center moving forward. Sims the ball up. Waive and stretch Dame, and go FA shopping.

Bobby scares me going forward because the athleticism he use to have to help him rebound and defend is waning. He seem to be grabbing a lot more this year to give him an edge. Also, on offense he can barely dunk in the open court at times.

Also, are there any creative ways the team could get Pat to opt out to sign a lesser multi year deal to create a little space? What would be the longest contract they could give him that makes financial sense in my fan crazed scenario?

[th87]

I’ll honestly be shocked if Doc gets fired.

Has that kind of feel to it doesn't it?

Horst wants him out, and he'll win this battle.

If Horst wanted Atkinson, then I highly doubt he'd want Doc (and didn't even consider him after firing Bud).

Nothing Doc did strengthened his case either. If Horst's extension actually gave him autonomy, then I'd imagine Doc is out.

[fansinceforever]

If Giannis Wants to stay then no one is pushing him out the door but if he's considering his legacy and wants to move on then the organization should allow him to.

And there will plenty of options available to the Bucks that far exceed mid-late first round picks. We're talking about one of the best players to ever play the game.

I guess, I also don't understand wanting Giannis to waste away his remaining years dragging a bad team to a 5-8 seed. The Bucks are my team but I want Giannis to have a chance to accomplish everything that he wants to. He's **** earned it.

[Swan Vox]

Keep Giannis.

[msiris]

Us sickos will be back no matter what. I wonder how season ticket holders feel or care about things? And if that matters at all?

I think it's clear Doc can't come back but I don't know if ownership fully understand the hole that we've dug ourselves.

Well some us said this might happen down the road after the Jrue trade. But the Dame trade made it even happen faster. Are many people as diehard as this group here? Probably not. I think that many people here have a better understanding than the average fan or even people in the Bucks organization.
Sad

[Bernman]

I get it guys. GA is my favorite athlete ever and I doubt he’s surpassed in my lifetime. And if he is adamant about staying, you probably keep him. But there is zero chance we can build a title contender with our current situation. And if you do wait, you are looking at probably the longest turnaround to contention in NBA history.

How quickly everyone wants to return to what this franchise was like pre Giannis is amazing to me. I'll hold onto the best Bucks player in franchise history as long as he wants to be here.

It's going to be much worse than it was pre-Giannis, if Giannis leaves for nothing. And it's better than it was pre-Giannis if they actually commit to a rebuild. They literally never did. Didn't have more than 1 1st in any draft for nearly 35 yrs. Even this iteration they built from a singular 15th pick & a trade throw-in during one offseason. Caught lightning in a bottle. Giannis isn't the only outstanding player, he can't do it alone, & we need a team.

[ReasonablySober]

Trading Giannis for a pupu platter of mid to late first round picks is pretty much worst case scenario.

You either get the blue chip, proven guys or don’t entertain a trade.

I haven't seen anyone here suggest the Bucks do that.

The way I see it is if he asks out you trade him.

If the team that gets the #1 overall offers it, you trade him.

If a team like Houston, OKC, or New Orleans comes around with a load of very valuable picks and/or building block young players, you trade him.

But if none of that happens, then keep him and wait for one of those deals to materialize, or hope he signs an extension 17 months from now.

[bucksfansince88]

Jazz fan here, I come in peace.

Real tough luck, really sorry to see it. Big fan of Giannis and the ascent of the Bucks.

I wanna take the pulse on an idea (a general outline) that could extend y’all’s window with Giannis because I don’t know how you’re supposed to get anywhere close to equal value back realistically.

Bucks trade:
-Dame
-‘31 and ‘32 swaps

Jazz trade:
-John Collins
-Collin Sexton

The perks for the Bucks
-Collins and Sexton are both really good players (a lot of us don’t particularly want really good players at this time, I think you could even make a case they provide more than a past-prime but healthy Dame with the added depth and athleticism while still providing spacing)
-Collins and Sexton have expiring contracts which could create $70 million in cap space (a comfortable amount more than a max slot) in ‘26-‘27 while staying competitive next season
-the trade saves $9 million next season which creates enough room to comfortably sign Lopez to a one-year deal and comfortably stay under the tax (ownership will definitely care about this), if desired.

Would you say yes to this?

In a heartbeat

[SirChurros]

What Horst needs to do is pull magic out of his ass by finding a GM as dumb as Nico.

[kanyon]

What Horst needs to do is pull magic out of his ass by finding a GM as dumb as Nico.

Doc is our Nico.

[bucksfansince88]

https://youtu.be/c6_7Nn_CTBk?si=JccW9nK_MVp7wiib

[th87]

I get it guys. GA is my favorite athlete ever and I doubt he’s surpassed in my lifetime. And if he is adamant about staying, you probably keep him. But there is zero chance we can build a title contender with our current situation. And if you do wait, you are looking at probably the longest turnaround to contention in NBA history.

How quickly everyone wants to return to what this franchise was like pre Giannis is amazing to me. I'll hold onto the best Bucks player in franchise history as long as he wants to be here.

It's going to be much worse than it was pre-Giannis, if Giannis leaves for nothing. And it's better than it was pre-Giannis if they actually commit to a rebuild. They literally never did. Didn't have more than 1 1st in any draft for nearly 35 yrs. Even this iteration they built from a singular 15th pick & a trade throw-in during one offseason. Caught lightning in a bottle. Giannis isn't the only outstanding player, he can't do it alone, & we need a team.

Worry about that when the time comes. I don't think Giannis asks for a trade unless he feels slighted or disrespected. He's not built the same as a Lebron or Durant. Community and family matter to him, and we are his community.

And if we are dumb enough to do this, the best realistic case is that we become Pacers west, a frisky non-contender. And in the worst case, the picks don't work out, and downtown Milwaukee becomes a wasteland and Haslam packs up and leaves.

What is the rush here? We just saw that we can give the Pacers everything they can handle despite being weighed down by a moron of a coach.

Regroup, hire smart people, find more undervalued cast-offs (like we did with Trent and KPJ), and see what happens.

[Bernman]

Worry about that when the time comes. I don't think Giannis asks for a trade unless he feels slighted or disrespected. He's not built the same as a Lebron or Durant. Community and family matter to him, and we are his community.

And if we are dumb enough to do this, the best realistic case is that we become Pacers west, a frisky non-contender. And in the worst case, the picks don't work out, and downtown Milwaukee becomes a wasteland and Haslam packs up and leaves.

What is the rush here? We just saw that we can give the Pacers everything they can handle despite being weighed down by a moron of a coach.

Regroup, hire smart people, find more undervalued cast-offs (like we did with Trent and KPJ), and see what happens.

It's not about worrying he asks out. That arguably fixes the problem. It's that he just leaves for nothing at the end of his contract & the franchise is cooked. Can we at least get a verbal commitment he'll sign the extension in a year so we can clear real cap space by then or get plenty for him?

I still don't think I prefer that route because we're not contenders for at least 2 yrs. But if he says yes, it's palatable & I guess I'd go with it. The smart $ is still on trade. The better pundits all suggest it has to be done. Many here have an emotional tie to Giannis though, so up is down.

[blazza18]

What Horst needs to do is pull magic out of his ass by finding a GM as dumb as Nico.

Jon Horst stares into a mirror.

[Jaballa Parkay]

Trading for kuzma was dumb. Playoff jimmy is the correct answer.

[machu46]

Just thinking out loud here.

Must keep guys:
Giannis
KPJ
Sims
Green
Rollins

I’d prefer they keep Trent if possible, but I don’t see a mechanism while signing KPJ.

Bobby and Brook gotta be gone I’d guess. Maybe Bobby stays on another sweetheart deal. I think Tyler Smith showed some potential this year to big the stretch 4 replacement guy instead of Bobby.

I think we’re stuck with Dame and Kuzma, unless Miami wants to throw all their terrible expiring deals at us for those two, on the hope of a full Dame recovery/quick rebuild.

Pat has no value so he’s here.

I actually liked what I saw from Nance and would give him a partially guaranteed deal as a live body big.

I want to see it with both AJ Jackson and Chris Livingston, but I just don’t. I guess, I’d hope one of them could become a rotation piece, because they’ll both be on the team given our contract situation. Maybe we can swap one for a shooter.


Ultimately we’d look like this,

KPJ
Green
Kuzma
Giannis
Sims

Rollins
Jackson
Pat/Livingston
Smith
Nance

Spacing is a nightmare, but you can squint and see a quality defensive and transition team. You would need an incredible coaching job, a great pickup on a minimum contract contributor, and maybe stealing a piece in a small trade.

Feels impossible, but in 2019 we won 60+ games with Giannis and Khris (stolen piece in a small trade), Brook (great pickup on minimum contract), Pat (great pickup on a minimum contract), and a new coach who did an incredible job that year.

Think my must keep guys are just Giannis and AJ Green. I assume Dame, Kuzma, and Pat essentially have to be back. I would gladly take Trent and Sims back on the cheap but don't think they quite fit into the must keep group. The rest can go IMO. I would personally make defense the top priority moving forwards; hopefully guys that have the athleticism and desire to get after it on the defensive end and are at least passable shooters. I'm not expecting them to be great or even necessarily good shooters but I want to prioritize the defense and if that means we have to hope for guys to shoot above their means in the playoffs, so be it. There has to be a balance but if I'm choosing between good defense and okay shooting or okay defense and good shooting, I choose the former.

[Xanadu]

I get it guys. GA is my favorite athlete ever and I doubt he’s surpassed in my lifetime. And if he is adamant about staying, you probably keep him. But there is zero chance we can build a title contender with our current situation. And if you do wait, you are looking at probably the longest turnaround to contention in NBA history.

How quickly everyone wants to return to what this franchise was like pre Giannis is amazing to me. I'll hold onto the best Bucks player in franchise history as long as he wants to be here.

So many younger fans who have no idea what its like being the a team without any real chance at being legitimate. Either that or lots of fans with memory loss. Even with the hypothetical top tier return and somehow managing to hit on picks still won't be able to keep a core together. 8 don't think Bucks fans will truly understand the gift Giannis was until decades of obscurity have happened. Do you not get it if he can be convinced to stay you do whatever is necessary. So sad for the rotten luck the past few years brought but a rebuild is theoretically achievable quickly. Players will come to Milwaukee for Giannis the right coach and true ground up Giannis 4 out switching line up has potential. With the right players it could be greater than the sum of their parts. Not easy and I don't know Giannis will be able to remain patient. But try to get him on board at least. If he doesn't bring forth trade desires the Bucks FO better not even think about it