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

[babyjax13]

Mke: Lauri, Hauser
Bos: ‘26 MKE swap of swap
Uta: Dame, ‘27 Bos 1st, ‘31 Mke 1st, ‘32 swap

Utah will be tanking again, since they owe their pick if it’s outside the top 8. Ainge has shown he highly values later unprotected 1sts with that Phoenix deal. They get to rehab Dame’s value and trade him a year from now.

Boston lessens their tax by attaching a 1st, but also getting a potentially valuable swap in return.

We get an off-ball #2 who’s a valuable and versatile shooter while also being a strong athlete who can attack the rim on or off-ball. Beyond that, we further lean into elite shooting by getting Hauser who would probably come off our bench.

KPJ Rollins
GTJ
Dairy Hauser
Lauri
Giannis

Utah isn't doing that. It's interesting if you replace Lauri with Sexton and Collins who are both expiring and adjust the pick value.

[RiotPunch]

If you are wondering whether or not I hate myself for this, the answer is yes.

MKE: Poole, Smart, Bey
WAS: Lillard, Connaughton, MKE '31 1st swap rights

KPJ / Smart / Rollins
Poole / Green
Trent / Bey
Giannis / Kuzma
Portis / Sims

Similar to the Jazz idea. Lillard gets to go rehab his body/value with his buddy Khris, and the Bucks get three useful rotation players. Washington opens up all kinds of playing time for their exciting young guards ( ), while adding a juicy swap...

Poole is a polarizing player, but brings some of the shot creation we desperately need. Bey is a big wing that plays smart/physical and can shoot, Smart is pretty cooked but he's at least an irritant and expires after the season.

Now the thing I see right there is the thing that is the thing that is the Swag Brothers for a new generation. I do love a narrative, just gotta bring the absolute greatest court concept design in history to fruition if not fire Kidd er Doc.

"Kevin & Jordan"
"Swaggin' it our way!"

Watch on YouTube

[pifhluk23]

What would it take to get Harden for Dame? Whats it worth to get off Dame's contract 1 year early and maybe lose in the 2nd round instead of the 1st? Maybe you even bring him back if it works out, Harden is 10x the passer Dame is and has the height Dame sorely needs. If it doesn't work out you at least clear huge space for next Summer.

I think you can also deal him at the deadline if he's acquired in the Summer and it's s not working out.

[German Athens]

Mke: Lauri, Hauser
Bos: ‘26 MKE swap of swap
Uta: Dame, ‘27 Bos 1st, ‘31 Mke 1st, ‘32 swap

Utah will be tanking again, since they owe their pick if it’s outside the top 8. Ainge has shown he highly values later unprotected 1sts with that Phoenix deal. They get to rehab Dame’s value and trade him a year from now.

Boston lessens their tax by attaching a 1st, but also getting a potentially valuable swap in return.

We get an off-ball #2 who’s a valuable and versatile shooter while also being a strong athlete who can attack the rim on or off-ball. Beyond that, we further lean into elite shooting by getting Hauser who would probably come off our bench.

KPJ Rollins
GTJ
Dairy Hauser
Lauri
Giannis

Utah isn't doing that. It's interesting if you replace Lauri with Sexton and Collins who are both expiring and adjust the pick value.

Yeah, it seems like the only way the bucks could end up with Lauri would be if Utah held onto him until the ‘26 draft, and then the bucks offered the ‘26 1st (probably a pick between 10-20), ‘31 1st, and ‘32 swap. If need be they would also have the ‘33 1st.

It all seems too unlikely, though. Since Utah doesn’t own its 1st unless it’s top 8 next year, I have to imagine they’d look to tank again, right? I’m guessing Lauri will be dealt this off-season.

[GHOSTofSIKMA]

i think if i was giannis...and i was focused strictly on legacy and winning.....

Id make the decision to play my whole career in milwaukee.

not only will he pile up unprecedented levels of stats. massive levels feel good loyalty in a sea of greats who moved around. but if he did manage to win another championship here....climb the ultimate mountain so to speak..... it would cement his legacy potentially into GOAT levels of career legacy.

no matter how unlikely that scenario sems right now.... it is a possibility. players like jrue and midds and lopez arent guys that you look at and think to yourself theres just no way we get that level of guy ever again. plus....i think truly most of it would just be giannis finding a new way to play. truly trusting shooters and a team geared more towards modern defense.

anyway....yeah if im giannis. or even if we know giannis....i could see a scenario like that maybe even appealing to him. from what we know. all this talk about winning. i could see it being talk. like the actual decision to move on i could see him not doing that. to him it probably feels like quitting. not even betrayal to the loyalty narrative. but i could see him feeling like if he left that he quit.

just thoughts this morning...

[babyjax13]

Mke: Lauri, Hauser
Bos: ‘26 MKE swap of swap
Uta: Dame, ‘27 Bos 1st, ‘31 Mke 1st, ‘32 swap

Utah will be tanking again, since they owe their pick if it’s outside the top 8. Ainge has shown he highly values later unprotected 1sts with that Phoenix deal. They get to rehab Dame’s value and trade him a year from now.

Boston lessens their tax by attaching a 1st, but also getting a potentially valuable swap in return.

We get an off-ball #2 who’s a valuable and versatile shooter while also being a strong athlete who can attack the rim on or off-ball. Beyond that, we further lean into elite shooting by getting Hauser who would probably come off our bench.

KPJ Rollins
GTJ
Dairy Hauser
Lauri
Giannis

Utah isn't doing that. It's interesting if you replace Lauri with Sexton and Collins who are both expiring and adjust the pick value.

Yeah, it seems like the only way the bucks could end up with Lauri would be if Utah held onto him until the ‘26 draft, and then the bucks offered the ‘26 1st (probably a pick between 10-20), ‘31 1st, and ‘32 swap. If need be they would also have the ‘33 1st.

It all seems too unlikely, though. Since Utah doesn’t own its 1st unless it’s top 8 next year, I have to imagine they’d look to tank again, right? I’m guessing Lauri will be dealt this off-season.

I am guessing he is dealt, but Ainge is too slow to make moves unless he gets the exact value he wants. Sometimes it works, sometimes ir doesn't. Re: the 2026 idea, yes, if Milwaukee had a lottery pick there would be an easy path to a deal.

[bbbarnett47]

When are the exit interviews?

Remember a few years ago when they just didn’t have them lol. I want to say it was after one of the heat *** whoopings

[German Athens]

I really like using the ‘26 swap as a mechanism to get better this coming season, but I’d be reluctant to use the later assets until the following offseason when we can package more for a difference maker, and we’d hopefully have fewer questions about our roster.

If that swap could be packaged in a deal where we give salary relief to a team in the 2nd apron, that could net us some nice value.

The problem is we would struggle to give anyone salary relief unless we had a large enough outbound salary (Dame) in a 3-team deal.

Like RP’s Dame deal would work if expanded to include Boston.

Mke: Kristaps, Poole
Was: Dame
Bos: Smart, ‘26 swap

Maybe Boston would do this without the swap, since they’d cut about 9m from payroll and still get back an expiring.

[bbbarnett47]

So… I’m guilty to having deer colored glasses on, like most around here, but… hear me out:

Isn’t the Indiana formula the exact method to building a successful team around Giannis? A slew of 6’4-6’5, B- players that can kinda do everything. Some of them may be playoff risers (GT/Nembhard), while others not (kuzma/toppin) but the idea is that you make sure the floor of the group of players around giannis is never that low, even if their ceiling isn’t that high.

Essentially we want to be Indiana with Hali and Giannis swapped, I’m taking that every time.

IMO:

- Resign Trent (not sure possible after his playoff showing)
- I would take or leave KPJ. When he’s good, he’s really good. When he’s bad, I think I could give them better minutes.
- Kuzma… I have no idea what to even do there, good luck Horst.
- Brook, it was a great run but the second a team has good ball movement and/or a mobile center, he’s cooked and so is our defenses

All that to say, I think we make another run and see what Horst can figure out this offseason.

[ShootingtheJ]

I think Dame can work with Giannis. Just need to surround them with like 10 new players. I wish our cap wasnt bad in so we can actually play GM.

Sent from my SM-S921U using RealGM mobile app

Our cap is bad because of Dame. His skills overlap and do not compliment Giannis. He had 2 years to figure out how to throw a simple lob to Giannis and never got it. Now he's injured, old, and nothing more than a colossal salary albatross.

Only skill that overlaps is he likes to handle the ball. His skills are outside, Gianni’s’ are inside. Being a terrific free throw shooter is valuable. Of course I don’t think he’ll be as lethal on offense as the old Dame after he recovers.

If Dame had any BB IQ, he would have let Ginnis play PG and set 30 ball and ghost screens a game for him. Dame would have gotten tons of open catch and shoot 3s, but he refuses to play like that. Green and Trent do, and KPJ can defend and throw lobs, so they are our future.

Find a way to turn Dame into a quality wing, and compete for a year until everything opens up for us a year from now.

[BigO]

Our cap is bad because of Dame. His skills overlap and do not compliment Giannis. He had 2 years to figure out how to throw a simple lob to Giannis and never got it. Now he's injured, old, and nothing more than a colossal salary albatross.

Only skill that overlaps is he likes to handle the ball. His skills are outside, Gianni’s’ are inside. Being a terrific free throw shooter is valuable. Of course I don’t think he’ll be as lethal on offense as the old Dame after he recovers.

If Dame had any BB IQ, he would have let Ginnis play PG and set 30 ball and ghost screens a game for him. Dame would have gotten tons of open catch and shoot 3s, but he refuses to play like that. Green and Trent do, and KPJ can defend and throw lobs, so they our are future.

Find a way to turn Dame into a quality wing, and compete for a year until everything opens up for us a year from now.

I think this is right.

I've always thought that Dame's game of pounding the ball and ending up with one ball screen was a bad strategy.

I would have loved him either being off ball (unless the shot clock was going down and there needed to be some creation) OR as a ball handler almost exclusively used as a pick n roll guy with Giannis.

Of course, this takes a creative and smart coach (actually the coach doesn't need to be that smart, just not dumb).

[soxperry]

So… I’m guilty to having deer colored glasses on, like most around here, but… hear me out:

Isn’t the Indiana formula the exact method to building a successful team around Giannis? A slew of 6’4-6’5, B- players that can kinda do everything. Some of them may be playoff risers (GT/Nembhard), while others not (kuzma/toppin) but the idea is that you make sure the floor of the group of players around giannis is never that low, even if their ceiling isn’t that high.

Essentially we want to be Indiana with Hali and Giannis swapped, I’m taking that every time.

IMO:

- Resign Trent (not sure possible after his playoff showing)
- I would take or leave KPJ. When he’s good, he’s really good. When he’s bad, I think I could give them better minutes.
- Kuzma… I have no idea what to even do there, good luck Horst.
- Brook, it was a great run but the second a team has good ball movement and/or a mobile center, he’s cooked and so is our defenses

All that to say, I think we make another run and see what Horst can figure out this offseason.

Even when Kpj's shot isnt falling he still gets assists and provides great defensive rebounding for his position. It might look rough at times but i do think hes usually a positive

[Bernman]

The dream deal is Giannis & filler for Flagg, Zion/player or prospect from a 3rd team, our own 1sts back, D. Murray contract.

Read on Twitter

[jschligs]

There is no way the FO trades Giannis unless he asks and he’s not going to ask. He doesn’t say **** like that and go back on his word. Trading him would alienate the fan base and they’d lose hundreds of millions in merch, ticket sales, deer district revenue, etc.

Ain’t nobody in Milwaukee want to root for Zion and some other pieces. Not since we experienced Giannis. Giannis has 3-5 years left of his prime. We have tons of opportunity in the future. Clean house this year and retool around Giannis. The media finally got into the heads of Milwaukee fans making them think we actually need to trade a top 20 player of all time.

[MickeyDavis]

"(Fill in the blank) is keeping close tabs on Giannis situation in Milwaukee". A real scoop.

[Bernman]

Flagg is not some other pieces. He'd be the centerpiece of the trade & team. And they'd gain in revenue.

It's about thinking how can you be on the path to winning big w/ the meager supporting cast & resources, & what do you do in 2 yrs if he leaves?

"(Fill in the blank) is keeping close tabs on Giannis situation in Milwaukee". A real scoop.

It's very pertinent, cuz that's the team who owns our picks and has a real shot of winning the lotto. Prior they may have been a rebuild team.

[ShootingtheJ]

The dream deal is Giannis & filler for Flagg, Zion/player or prospect from a 3rd team, our own 1sts back, D. Murray contract.

Read on Twitter

So laughable that they state "Zion is on the table" like anyone wants him, and that there's a player who isn't on the table in a Giannis deal. Trash media, please don't feed them clicks.

[ShootingtheJ]

Flagg is not some other pieces. He'd be the centerpiece of the trade & team. And they'd gain in revenue.

It's about thinking how can you be on the path to winning big w/ the meager supporting cast & resources, & what do you do in 2 yrs if he leaves?

"(Fill in the blank) is keeping close tabs on Giannis situation in Milwaukee". A real scoop.

It's very pertinent, cuz that's the team who owns our picks and has a real shot of winning the lotto. Prior they may have been a rebuild team.

Plus we get the fun of dealing Flagg is 2 years when he asks out. Yay

[KGtabake]

The dream deal is Giannis & filler for Flagg, Zion/player or prospect from a 3rd team, our own 1sts back, D. Murray contract.

Read on Twitter

To play with whom over there?
Giannis won't go to New Orleans. He will tell the Pelicans he won't resign when it's time and the Pelicans will back down.
Then he will be angered that you tried to trade him to a non contender and he will demand all the things you don't want a superstar player to demand. Needless to say, he will torpedo his own value in order to go wherever he wants to go after that. Recent history shows what a disgruntled star can do in such occasions. Giannis ain't like that but don't provoke him.

If you want to trade him, find a contender.
It's the only trade scenario you are going to get good value in return.

[slos]

Zion is always on the table