Big 3 needed? Who is the target? Draft, FA or trade?

[KingWing]

You mean 4th potential star? We already have 3 on the roster.

Who's the third?

I think you can argue Knight as the third star. I don't like him in his current role as primary scorer/distributor, but I think he could be an excellent 3rd guy once Giannis and Jabari start to take over.

[LUKE23]

mayo, sanders, Henson, #1(top 3 protected)
for
holiday, asik

Oh lord no. I wouldn't even do that without the first.

[Ron Swanson]

You mean 4th potential star? We already have 3 on the roster.

Who's the third?

I think you can argue Knight as the third star. I don't like him in his current role as primary scorer/distributor, but I think he could be an excellent 3rd guy once Giannis and Jabari start to take over.

Topic killing dissection of Brandon Knight in 3....2....1.....

[emunney]

I shudder to think what Butler will get on the open market considering what Haywood and Parsons got.

Oh, he'll get the max if he wants it. I'm not totally sure the Bulls will give it to him, so that's a choice he'll have.

[paulpressey25]

I'd write off the Bucks getting any of those RFA players like Butler, Tobias, etc.

With the new TV deal, all those guys are getting maxed out and matched.

We need a different plan than that.

[Treebeard]

Tall Guard who can score & provides good defense.

Butler works, I'm OK with Matthews too.

[GHOSTofSIKMA]

mayo, sanders, Henson, #1(top 3 protected)
for
holiday, asik

Oh lord no. I wouldn't even do that without the first.

don't like holiday or asik? or still in love with sanders?

seems like a clear upgrade at 2 starting positions to me. holiday alone is worth the 1st

[LUKE23]

I'm not making win now trades or trading first rounders. We should be going the other direction, clearing cap, trying to get additional firsts or young assets, and improving our draft position. Making the playoffs is not the goal this year, and doesn't even really mean we did much, the East is as bad as it's ever been. Continue the long-term plan.

[Badgerlander]

I'd write off the Bucks getting any of those RFA players like Butler, Tobias, etc.

With the new TV deal, all those guys are getting maxed out and matched.

We need a different plan than that.

I'm really curious what is going to happen with KJ McDaniels, does Philly have the stomach to overpay him next summer or do they shop him for picks?

[Newz]

I'm not making win now trades or trading first rounders. We should be going the other direction, clearing cap, trying to get additional firsts or young assets, and improving our draft position. Making the playoffs is not the goal this year, and doesn't even really mean we did much, the East is as bad as it's ever been. Continue the long-term plan.

Not to mention Holiday is poop.

[GHOSTofSIKMA]

I'm not making win now trades or trading first rounders. We should be going the other direction, clearing cap, trying to get additional firsts or young assets, and improving our draft position. Making the playoffs is not the goal this year, and doesn't even really mean we did much, the East is as bad as it's ever been. Continue the long-term plan.

Not to mention Holiday is poop.

really? what am I missing with holiday? I thought he was having a good year out there.

I would agree we probably don't want to make trades for win now. but I was playing along with the premise of the thread a little. you don't like this deal either?

[raferfenix]

I want a true point guard.

If we had one who could lead the break we could have the best fast break in the league. Giannis and Parker's half court offense also would be immeasurably better for it.

This doesn't mean we necessarily have to drop Knight. Could actually see him turning into a Monta Ellis kind of SG with extra shooting skills.

Don't see us getting a great draft pick no matter what we do, and even with billionaire owners free agency is a tough sell.

So I'm hoping for a trade.

If he'd want to stay here and Kidd thinks he's the missing piece, I'd make a hard play for Rondo. Yes he's older but so was Steve Nash when he was first paired with Amare.

That, and if the Celtics decide to trade Rajon, I don't really see many other teams with the assets and incentive to make a strong play. If he makes it to free agency though the Mavs and Rockets could be real enticing options for him, which is where having his bird rights would be a requisite for us.

[worthlessBucks]

Sucking another year and riding our young guys was the golden ticket plan for another quality piece. We have slightly botched that thanks to hiring Kidd, the vets showing up in shape, players buying into Kidd, a terrible SOS, and an awful Eastern conference. We should be shopping Mayo/Ersan/Dudley(ha)/Bayless for whatever value we can get. If there is no value for Ersan or Mayo, then you might as well keep them even if they have no future with this team. Try again trading them next year.

I'm not down to see Larry sold for Stauskas and Derrick Williams or similar crappy packages just to tank our pick. Some wouldn't trade a garbage 2nd for Derrick Williams last year, now they want to trade our defensive stud for him, the analytics' dream (bust) shooter, and a slight tank of our pick. Our pick drop is not enough of an addition to that package to get rid of Sanders, even factoring in Stauskas' hopeful improvement. Larry's deal will not be a problem and even if Larry turns 30 when Giannis/Parker enter their prime...30 is not senile. Oyy

I've thought all along that Knight could be a 3rd piece, which is why this year is so important to let him play through his mistakes. Maybe not a PG, maybe not a starter, but we could have an affordable 3rd piece on the roster.

[old skool]

I think that Butler is a wind sock favorite now that he has burst onto the scene. The task is not to identify that type of player AFTER he becomes a productive #3 producer, but to identify him BEFORE he breaks out. If you wait until AFTER a player breaks out, the controlling team is likely to find a way to keep him and he becomes too expensive.

There is a peril with acquiring mid-level talent that does not break out until they are 25 or older (like Butler). Such players often decline more quickly without the sheer physical ability that lottery picks often have. Compare Michael Redd to Ray Allen. At their peak, both players could light up the scoreboard, but Allen outlasted Redd. At age 25 Butler is close to his athletic peak. He could be declining by the time Parker and Antetokounmpo come into their own.

I agree with Luke that the Bucks are more likely to extend Knight. Not because of Knight's talent alone, but because he is a contract that they control. They CAN keep Knight on the roster. Plus, he is still young. When Butler was Knight's age, he was a defensive specialist who could not start for a playoff team. Knight is a much more productive player than Butler was at his age. It makes sense to bet on Knight to improve. Even if his improvement rate is less than Butler's, Knight will still be the superior NBA player. Add in the likelihood of keeping Knight within the NBA CBA, and it makes even more sense - Butler will probably be an unrealistic option.

[BucksFanSD]

Had the new TV deal happened a couple years ago, OKC would still have Harden with no issues, and would be the powerhouse in the NBA. There will be more RFAs being matched now due to the new TV deal. Even more reason for this team to build through the draft, since it's now more manageable to re-sign your RFA players after their rookie deal and we just don't attract top free agents.

Also, I agree I would love to have a two way center. I think we have a hole on offense with a Parker / Sanders front court when we play teams with length. We need a low post presence against all teams.

I'm high on Knight's potential, but he's expendable and I'm high on Marshall and Wolters who quite simply shouldn't be sitting the bench. I think having great distributors in Marshall and Wolters will work great as we upgrade other pieces and we have players other than Parker and Giannis that make upgrading possible.

Other than that, I'm currently high on D'Angelo Russell from OSU if we can't get Butler. He would fit well.

We're definitely on the right path, but it's a fragile path. There's little room for error if we truly want to be a contender.

[ReKon]

People need to realise we re not getting any of the major free agents this summer.If they don t sign with their teams LAL and NYK the biggest market teams will have enough cap space to throw max deals to anyone they wish.Since we already are not a big destination for FAs we need to build through the draft

Sanders Giannis and Jabari should be our frontcourt of the future.And if we make trades i would want picks in return.The Pelicans pick from Houston should be a top priority and if we could strike a deal with a struggling team for a top 8 protected pick i would like that.We have enough assets to shop so i hope we make a deal before the deadline.

[GHOSTofSIKMA]

you guys need to unblock my ass off all your foes lists and please tell me wtf im missing about jrue holiday. statistically hes having his best year in NO. obviously I haven't watched him this year so what gives?

[paulpressey25]

Sucking another year and riding our young guys was the golden ticket plan for another quality piece. We have slightly botched that thanks to hiring Kidd, the vets showing up in shape, players buying into Kidd, a terrible SOS, and an awful Eastern conference.

You could have written that above during much of the first couple years of Scott Skiles. Which I think is what is scaring people at the moment as we realize that bolting out of the gate to ten wins is awesome from a PR standpoint but terrible from a long-term rebuild standpoint.

I absolutely don't want to cheer for losses this year, but I'm starting to sober up a bit after watching those Duke freshman play the other night. We need another one of those Duke guys and at least three of them will go top 8 most likely.

[paulpressey25]

you guys need to unblock my ass off all your foes lists and please tell me wtf im missing about jrue holiday. statistically hes having his best year in NO. obviously I haven't watched him this year so what gives?

I'm not watching much of the NOLA team, so wouldn't pretend to know details. But I do see a team that has Anthony Davis on it that is sub .500. When you see a situation like that, it tells me they've got a PG who isn't impacting wins like he should.

[cinematographer]

I'd write off the Bucks getting any of those RFA players like Butler, Tobias, etc.

With the new TV deal, all those guys are getting maxed out and matched.

We need a different plan than that.

Chicago is cheap. A lot of their team bloggers don't think they match Butler, unless he's an all-star this year.

(He's definitely all-star impact)