Bucks’ Future HANGS in Balance as Giannis Decision LOOMS | Can Milwaukee SALVAGE Dynasty?

Bucks’ Future HANGS in Balance as Giannis Decision LOOMS | Can Milwaukee SALVAGE Dynasty?

The Giannis trade discussion on yesterday’s show sparked a lot of interest. So, can the Bucks find a middle ground? And what about an out there trade proposal from Locked on Jazz? We’ll dig into that coming up next on today’s Locked on Bucks. You are Locked on Bucks, your daily Milwaukee Bucks podcast, part of the Locked On Network. your team every day. Welcome into Lockdown Bucks. I’m Justin Garcia, joined as always by Camille Davis. We thank you for making this your first listen of the day. All the everydayers out there who certainly had a lot to say on yesterday’s show. Today’s episode brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers get $200 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. So yesterday, Camille, we ran through the trade proposals that the Athletic put together and that uh Eric Name did the Lord’s work and shot down why these trades are ridiculous and not enough for Giannis. But it seems to have sparked a lot of discourse among Bucks fans that I don’t know what where would you place it in terms of Bucks fans uh pro or against trading Giannis? It feels like it’s 65 35 to me in in team in terms of fans that are against it and you’re starting to feel like well it’s time it’s it’s time to pivot move on to something else. Where would you put those numbers? That sounds about right. I was thinking maybe 7030. I I do wonder a lot of times too if some of the people who are talking are more so Giannis fans than Bucks fans because I do think you have a different mentality of what you’re searching for if you’re more a fan of Giannis. That’s it rather than the actual team of the Milwaukee Bucks. But I think maybe like 7030 I’ve seen from Bucks fans. But that 30 is is is very loud about about listen, we need to make sure we we don’t miss a window. We need to do this while the value is high. And again, I’m on that in that 70 side of of my calculation here. It’s funny you bring that up because I was talking about this with somebody earlier uh today or Monday as we record this and I made that same point where I I know I mentioned something similar to that on yesterday’s show and but I didn’t mean it to demean any Bucks fans that are out there that are newer fans. I mean, everybody gets into fandom at a different time in their lives. So, it’s not to say you’re a bad fan because you just joined in in 2018. Um, but my point was, you know, this person I was having the conversation with said, “I just don’t think they’ll trade Giannis because I don’t think Horst or anybody for that matter wants to be the next Nico Harrison.” Like, well, it’s not really an applesto apples argument here. I mean, I I think I don’t think that’s really on the table unless it’s a really bad trade and you get matching salary back and, you know, an average draft pick and that’s it. Um, and I I don’t think a lot of fans up in arms would be the wrong way to put it, but I think it would be received much better because a lot of these fans, and again, I can’t preface this enough. I don’t mean this as enough. a lot of these fans are Giannis fans and not necessarily Bucks fans. That they became fans as this group got better and as Giannis started to blossom that they don’t have quite as much of a history with this group and everything we talked about of hey remember and I saw one of the comments too. I don’t want to go back to longing for hope OJ Mayo has a good game today. I remember those days and I think you have a lot of new fans that have come along with Giannis that they have been Giannis fans versus Bucks fans. So, I just don’t really see that as um one of the potential outcomes. Again, unless you trade Giannis and you bring back one guy like say you make the Paul George trade of all right, we’re getting Paul George and a singular draft pick from the Sixers. I would be so upset if that was the hall back um for Giannis. No, I mean that is that is a very good point about when people came on to the fandom as well because I remember I was able to sit courtside for a Buck 76ers game at the Bradley Center for like $75 including tax. Yeah. Courtside. Like I was on camera at certain points as the camera panned. But yeah, it was it was rough. I mean that time in Bucks fandom like I remember going out to bars and the bars would be playing high school hockey and I’m like can you turn the Bucks game on? and they’re looking at me like, “Why would you want me to turn this on in the bar right now?” And I think too, if if if you only think back to the last six, seven years of the Milwaukee Bucks. Um it’s it’s hard to it can be easy to forget uh what it was like before that unless you’re also somebody who’s watching a lot of other NBA teams and you spent time this season watching the Wizards or the Jazz or the Hornets or any of these teams when you’re like they’re trying to figure out who on their roster is a cornerstone piece. They’re really trying to figure things out and it’s it can be it can test uh your love for the game when you have to watch 82 games of a rebuilding team. I mean, you know, look, and I, to your point about the type of attention this team got, I many who have listened to me on the radio or on this show know I went to school, I went to college in the cross and uh that was a long time ago. We’re talking over 20 years ago that I was in the cross. So, seven, eight seeds for the Bucks, right? And um one of those was the uh ill- fated six seed I believe the ill- fated Ray Allen trade where you went up against the Brooklyn Nets in the first round and um I remember routinely going same thing you’d go to bars or other establishments and like can you put on the Bucks game and it was nah we’re good like there’s other things there was more interest in the Minnesota Timberwolves and granted they were better then but an outofstate team more interest than the Bucks and And that was a big challenge. And you think about the amount of apparel that you did not see throughout the state. I lived in Madison after college. Pretty similar there, too. There wasn’t that reach of Bucks fans in Madison. Uh I told them a lot of people that would come to Wisconsin for the first time or were new to the state of Yeah. the Bucks are really a city team and you have the Brewers and Packers that have statewide appeal. That started to change with the new ownership group and when they really tried to let’s, you know, let’s change the logo. Let’s get apparel out there. Let’s make sure this becomes a state team. And oh, by the way, Giannis changed a lot of that as well. But yeah, it it wasn’t uh it wasn’t pretty in terms of uh Bucks fans and where you would find them spread out throughout the states. And look, it a lot of this I know can have the tone of us kind of shaming and talking down to Bucks fans of like you’re not a true fan because you’re more of a Giannis guy than a Bucks guy. Look, in fairness, the Bucks did not give people a reason to be hopeful and have this long-standing fandom for what 15, 20 years. That it took a player like Giannis to change all that. But that’s more the point we have tried to really hammer home is I don’t know that it’s as clear a picture of this is what you have to do that a lot of people are trying to convince you of. And I think you can understand why a lot of us would say I’m not in a hurry to sign up for what it was like before Giannis again. Yeah. I mean players like Giannis don’t come often and that’s part of like in between why like the B it was 50 years between championships for the Bucks when you look at who they had when they won the first one it was you know Kareem Abdul Jabbar like you had a generational talent 50 years later you have Giannis Admpo a generational talent it’s really hard to find those guys and you might end up in situations where you have good teams um but just can’t get over that hump and I’m just going to be of the mindset that as long as Giannis wants to be in Milwaukee, you continue doing everything you can around him to try to make this a team that can compete because talent like that does not come often. especially one that’s homegrown, has attachments to the city, loves being in Milwaukee, all those other things that come into play when you’re a small market team that I’m just I just can’t get on board of of looking to trade him if he’s not asking for it just given how difficult it is to find a Giannis, especially one who means as much as they do to Milwaukee. And last thing I’ll say about just how the team has changed, I will say it is a lot easier to wear bugs here when it’s not red and green all the time. It is a lot easier. Not a fan of wear apparel. Yes. Um, yeah. I mean, it’s, you know, the the Tracy Chapman song and the lyrics there. Give me one reason to stay here and I’ll turn right back around. I mean, that’s where we have always been with Giannis that he’s been pretty clear about that of I want to compete. As long as you’re competing, but also making it clear we are trying to compete and the Bucks have done that. We can criticize and have moves they’ve made that have not worked out and everything that’s put you in this spot, but they’re in that spot because they tried and they exhausted resources to make their roster better and it just it wasn’t good enough and it has not gone your way in the last three years and now it leads to a very very interesting off season for this Bucks team. So, can they find a middle ground is the place to really take this next Camille and I will dig into that conversation coming up after this. The NBA playoffs are in full swing and every night delivers highlight worthy performances. Major momentum shifts, can’t miss moments. Whether it’s a game-winning shot or a breakout player, there’s never been a better time to get in on the action. FanDuel makes it easy to stay in the game before tip off and live. With player props, performance trends, and same game parlays, fans have more ways than ever to play smart and win big. If you’re looking at which players are showing up in the biggest moments or how could tackling their trends help you build your next bet, you can watch what unfolds to combine live prop bets midame based on how the action unfolds. New to FanDuel? It’s the perfect time to sign up. Head to fanuel.com and place your first $5 bet. If it wins, you’ll get $200 in bonus bets. Make every moment more with FanDuel, official sports betting partner of the NBA. So, is there a such thing as a middle ground? Uh, Camille, and it to me it boils down to this. Um, you’re kind of in the chicken and egg theory here. Um, because we’ve talked and we’ll continue to talk throughout this summer, long summer again, of the free agents the Bucks have and the decisions to make there. And guys like Gary Trent Jr., how much you’d love to have him back. Kevin Porter Jr., Jericho Sims, right? You can extend AJ Green, Bobby Portoris has a big decision as well. And I’m sure a lot, if not all those guys are looking at this and saying, “Well, what’s he doing? If he’s here, yeah, I’m amendable to it.” And I’ll I’ll take maybe even you get Gary Trent to take a Bobby Porter deal from a couple of years ago. We’ll give you the 120% raise. We promise we’ll take care of you next summer. Um, guys, as we’ve seen the last few years, are more open to things like that when you have a player like Giannis. That’s the other thing you have to keep in mind. That changes with this talk of we’ll trade Giannis and get picks and get other guys. That’s what you do. Great. You don’t have quite as much leverage and flexibility to talk guys into those types of things. So, that could potentially go out the window. And you know, in the case of some guys, it’s going to be interesting because I don’t know that we’re going to get a clearcut answer from Giannis of I want to be here or he’s going to publicly come out and say, right, you’re going to need to trade me. I don’t think it get done here. And that’s why we talked about the Instagram post yesterday. I don’t think it was really much of anything. But it’s going to be interesting to see who’s the first guy that says, “Well, are are you going to be here or not? Because I got this offer and I can’t really wait much longer. So, I’m gonna lean towards this. Yeah, it’s going to Yeah, it’s going to be interesting to see that because Giannis is the catalyst. Like, if there’s no Giannis, again, that’s what makes Milwaukee a free agent destination right now. It’s a chance to play with Giannis, meaning that there’s going to be a chance to compete. And the question becomes like if you do do this, uh trying to find the middle ground of continue to remain competitive this year going into next year. I do wonder if if the pitch is more so along the lines of listen, this year we’re going to double down on what did work last year, we’re going to try to bring back the guys that we know work. We’re going to lean into, you know, the point Giannis going forward. Uh but maybe this year, well, not necessarily taking a step back, but it’s like a this is kind of a reset year and then next year we promise you we’re going to try to do a little bit more when we have even more flexibility. Yeah. On the books. I do wonder if that’s a way to approach it. I don’t know how Giannis would take to that or even how fans are, but I think for the Bucks that might end up being what middle ground looks like where it’s a year where it’s not exactly what you thought it might have been before the Dame injury, but now it’s like we’re just trying to work through this year, see how the chips may fall, and then from there we promise you the next year we’re going to gear up even more. The funny thing is, and I agree with everything you said, um, but the funny thing is this quote unquote middle ground that we perceive, it’s where the Bucks were this year. The middle ground is is basically staying the same and saying, look, in all likelihood, we’re probably going to be somewhere around fifth to seventh in the Eastern Conference. Hey, maybe things break, right? And, you know, we said yesterday’s show, I mean, here’s one of the other things is your pitch to Giannis is you run the ship, man. And also everything is going to revolve around you that this could be MVP season incoming for Giannis with the Jokic comps. Um so maybe things break your way and maybe that’s the performance you get and you’re a four seed, right? But I would assume people are going to have the Bucks penciled in to sixth playing tournament assuming you keep most of this group together. And you know that’s what we’re going at with middle ground which I think just kind of speaks to I don’t know was this group what we thought they were the last two years. I I would say that this Bucks club underperformed. Uh this year in particular and again when you get off to a 218 start you already dug yourself in a hole. And honestly, looking at how the playoff series went against the Pacers, digging yourselves into a hole was the theme throughout that series as well. Like that’s the theme of the 2024 25 Bucks season of you got to work really hard because you dug yourself into a hole. Now let’s see if you can get out. Again, love the fight that they showed, but that was a recurring theme for him. So, I mean, middle ground for this team, like you mentioned, I think it’s between that five and seven seed for them. And coming into the season, if you would have told me, hey, the goal for the Bucks is to make sure that they’re in the playoffs. They don’t want to fall into the playin. That’s where they’re at. I would have been like, really? What? In year two of Doc with more stability with Damon, with Giannis and everything that happened. So, I would say this this season was a bit of a disappointment, especially because for me, I just wanted them to get out the first round. Like I felt like this team had a a second round ceiling if I’m being honest where that felt like if you get to the second round things would really have to break your way for you to advance to the conference finals. So like second round ceiling for this team. So to not even get out the first round again, albeit against a really good Pacers team, one that I have a lot more respect for now than I did even a few weeks ago. Um disappointing. I think it’s fair to say. Yeah. I mean, I I don’t want to dwell on it too much because, you know, the ifs and buts line, but I said it towards the end of the season, too. You know, there’s two things here. Um, if you defend that four-point play a little differently, you have homec court advantage in that series against Indiana, you’re the four seed. And if you do that, and you go even five and five, your first 10 games versus two and eight, you’re playing the Pistons in the first round of the playoffs as a three seed. and then moving on hopefully to take on the Boston Celtics. So, it just goes to show you how important every game is. And that’s why we say like you can’t it’s not necessarily like winning the division for you. You can’t win divisions early in seasons. You hear that more in baseball than any other sport, but you can lose it and you can lose your seating. And that’s what we saw over the course of the year for the uh the Bucks. So, um, a lot of questions and it’s it’s all going to center around Giannis and what he wants to do and what he sees in this group because I I I think you loved what you saw from this group down the stretch. Um, save for the injuries, but the way that they played and the way that everything funneled through Giannis and how they found the right personnel that works there and I think realistically you can retain all of those guys. It just I it it’s I hate to speak in absolutes, but it’s probably not possible if he decides or draws this out and says, “I don’t know. I got to think about it.” So, that’s the challenge. Um big challenge, one of them that the Bucks are in for here in this off season. Uh there’s a very interesting trade that we mentioned on yesterday’s show that was suggested by David on locked on Jazz um which I think caught a lot of attention and raised some eyebrows for the Bucks and a couple of parallels or one big parallel that it seems like we’re starting to see here from our Wisconsin sports team. So Camille and I will dig into that and take a bounce around the rest of the second round playoff series which again for the third consecutive year the Bucks are not a part of. We’ll take a look at that coming up next on Locked on Bucks. And we thank you for making Lock on Bucks your first listen every single day. For your second listen, be sure to check out Locked on NBA Game Night every game every night until an NBA champion is crowned. Get local analysis on a national scale. on NBA Game Night unlocked on NBA on YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcasts and find Camille on that every Monday night. So, Tuesday show is is Camille on lockdown NBA game nights and you got two series to dig into tonight. Camille, um unfortunately no Bucks in those, but we see the start of the Celtics and Knicks and then uh it felt like Denver just played yesterday and here they are starting their series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. So, um, yes, some very intriguing series as we go forward here. I mentioned that trade. We’ll get to that in a second, but I I do want to say this, especially as the injury report came out on Monday afternoon for game two of the uh the Cavs Pacers series. Um, boy, it’s starting to look like, man, is Cleveland going to be in a big hole with the injury report that they have and Kenny Atinson even saying, uh, what, Evan Mobley, I think, and DeAndre Hunter, both very much questionable to play in game two of this series. And now you’re faced with the possibility of Indiana going up two games to none on the Cavaliers before the series shifts back to Indie. So certainly um party atmosphere in Indiana right now for the Pacers and it’s probably too early to get into this Camille, but it did get me wondering now. Is there something about the state that we’re just cursed where everybody’s familiar with you play the Brewers, you beat the Brewers, you’re going on to the World Series. Um I mean look at this run for the Bucks, you lose in the conference finals in 2019, the Raptors win the NBA championship. You lose in the bubble in 2020. The Miami Heat go on to the NBA finals. You win the championship. Yeah. Then you lose to the Celtics in 2022. The Celtics go on to the NBA finals. Uh you lose to the Heats in 2023. The Heats go back to the NBA Finals. You lost to the Pacers last year. They only reached the conference finals. Uh but everybody Joe Missoula himself unlocked on Celtics said that was the toughest opponent that we had in the postseason. And now here we are again. that I know it’s very early, Camille. I I told you I don’t remember if it was on the show or off the air. I’m I’m convinced the Pacers are beating the Cavs and boy, depending on that injury report, if it’s two nothing, this feels like a fivegame wrap here. Yeah. Um it’s starting to feel more and more like, is this the year the Pacers breakthrough and this is their year? And then you’re looking at a history of, wow, every year but one, the team that beat the Bucks in this seven-year stretch reached the NBA finals. Woo. I know some people take solace in that where it’s like, well, hey, at least we lost to the champions along the way. I do not subscribe to that theory. It just makes me even more agitated normally. I’m like, dang. Like, y’all were that good. But no, I it could be. The Bucks really could be. Isn’t that a movie too with like Good Luck Chuck or something like No, not Good Luck Chuck. Yeah. Is that the one where you date someone and then after they dated Chuck, they would get married right after. It was a step beyond date. But we got to be PC on the show. You got to be PC on the show. But um yeah, the the Brewers have shown that and now the Bucks are seemingly also walking in that lane right now, which like I said, I know some people it makes them feel better. For me, it makes me cross my my arms and just kind of like pout like I can’t believe this is happening again. But no, I don’t. I wish I could find some comfort in that. I don’t. It just makes me more irritated. Justin, I was there last year with the Pacers especially. And I remember telling this um to a couple people and even very few uh people with the Celtics that we did engage with. Uh, not a whole lot of likable people there, Camille. But, um, I remember a few of us on the radio side telling them, “Go win this thing.” Like, that was a hard-fought series. The Bucks gave it everything they could. You outlasted us. You had more options than we did. So, go finish the job, especially when you’re removed from a championship. Um, last year I was not there with Indiana. It was more of the you have got to be kidding me two years in a row and this freaking Pacers team and openly and actively rooting against them uh against every team they came across the Knicks and the Celtics. Although the Celtics was more of the like which one of these do I really want here? Um, this year I’ve moved past it enough to feel like, you know what, go do something. Like, just as I’ve talked about many times, it would be hypocritical for me to say, “Nope, the Pacers are the one quote unquote smaller market team I don’t want to see succeed.” That, you know, when when we all remember what it was like to win a championship, and hopefully that’s not what we’re clinging to for five more decades, but we remember that feeling. When you saw Denver win the title, you felt if it can’t be us, I want it to be a team like that. Um, Indiana is a team like that. Even though they’ve had the Bucks number and um, a lot of controversy in some of those games. Indiana is one of those teams. Their fans have been through a lot as well. So, I’ve moved past it enough to feel like, you know what, of the groups I’m looking at here of the Cavs, the Celtics, the Pacers, the Knicks, yeah, I want to see Indiana finish the job here and and at least reach the finals. One day I want to grow up and and have that mentality because I am not there. I’m I’m going just let a Western Conference team win. Let’s go Thunder. Like let’s Well, yeah, I’m there Camille. I want a Western Conference team to win. But of the four in the East to say like, oh, these Eastern Especially because it’s like the Cavs other Midwest like Cavs and Pacers are both central and it’s like h then it’s like the Knicks. All right, the Celtics. Nah, I I’m struggling watching Celtic City and it’s a great docu series, but like I do not like that franchise, but I watched the first seven episodes and I have no intention of watching the last two because I know it’s you know what, 2008 on like yeah, I’m good. Like I know I’m good on this, but no, I mean I get it. And for the Bucks, again, disappointing season, especially with how the injuries played in. But again, we talked about this for years, even when it was Kane and Frank and like you need a little luck. And the Pacers seem like they might get some more when it comes to who the Cavs are able to actually put out there on the floor to compete because they already without Garland. Um, so now if you also add Moy and uh Hunter to that list, like that depth that the Cleveland Cavaliers had is taking a real hit. So like it it changes the equation for him. Got to be healthy. You got to be lucky and you got to be good. And um Bucks had all three of those come together. Even though they dealt with injuries, they were lucky that Giannis returned. Um they were lucky that Kevin Durant’s foot was that big. So they were good. They got luck and they were healthy, too. I know we mentioned Giannis missing two games. You missed Dante Devenzo, but outside of that, your key guys were there and that’s what Indiana’s had the last two years as well. Um, really quickly here, and we should try to get uh David Lock on uh a show later on this week to talk through it, but on one of his more recent episodes of Locked on Jazz, which we encourage people to check out. I think it was what, last Friday’s show. Uh he he took some mailbag questions, which by the way, we will get back into once again here in this offseason, probably multiple times. And one of the suggestions was, should the Jazz trade for Damen Lillard? And uh David made the case, yes, they absolutely should. It’s part of the rebuild process. Even if you get Cooper flag and you win the lottery, you’re still you don’t have enough to say, we’re here. It’s time to compete now. And the gist of it was absolve that contract of Damen Lillard, offload some longer deals that you have and get assets from the Bucks. In theory, makes a whole lot of sense. Mhm. The flaw in the logic is uh well, we got a 2031 firstrounder and then a 2032 pick swap we can offer you, but that’s about it in terms of assets. And you know, this is all speculation and conjecture and we would even need to know or what are the players you’re taking back. But even if that’s something both sides were amendable to I just have a hard time saying for what we said of, you know, finding a middle ground and what are the expectations. This doesn’t feel like the group where you say, “Yep, 2031 pick. Let’s offload that one as well.” Yeah. And that’s where I would come down where it’s like that’s the question I have is attaching that future first that the Bucks do have access to putting into any trades this season or this offseason and going forward. Do you want to attach that to a Dame contract where you know he’s coming off the Achilles so you’re putting that on there to get off of that contract or would you try to use that draft pick for another possible player to offload in a situation where you can bring back a different value piece there? Um because that 2020 or 203132 draft pick that the Bucks are able to put on the table, that’s a big one for them. And like I’m I’m not I’m not as curious to just throw that out there to get off of something like a Damen Lillard contract right now. Now I’m interested in it and I would love to talk to Dave um about why he thinks that’s a great fit for the Jazz even more in depth. But the question for the Bucks is, is this the way you want to use that asset? Is it is that the player that you need to attach it to to try to make a move that can improve this team for the 2025 26 season? Uh we kind of tiptoeed around this during the regular season and there was one team that was above the Bucks in terms of what is the best asset out there. But what Phoenix did with their 2031 pick, they turned a really good asset into oh that’s that’s it. Yeah. Um, I think it’s I don’t think it’s debatable. The 2031 first round pick that the Bucks own is the most valuable asset that is out there right now. Because even, you know, this isn’t doom casting and saying Giannis is going to leave in 2031, Giannis is going to be 36 years old going on 37. So I it’s team saying if he’s not gone, it’s going to start to to start to hit a big downturn. And it’s been a downturn the last three years now, but it’s really going to start to decline in 2031, we believe, because of the lack of assets leading up to that. And you know, maybe a young guy really develops, but that’s the pick that we want to bet on. And that’s what to me what makes this low-key very interesting this summer for the Bucks is if you get that sign off from Giannis. I don’t want to leave. And you talk everybody else the the key guys Kevin Porter Jr. Gary Trent Jr. the decision with Bobby assuming you retain a Jericho Sims you got the bird rights on. And you can and should extend AJ Green. Like you keep that core together and then just say if we attach this to something else, we can bring in another serviceable guy and start to at least get to where we said, well, maybe like five through seven is the what the reality is. Well, maybe we can bump it up to, hey, in a perfect world, things break our way. We’re the third seed. And then who knows what happens depending on your matchups in the postseason. But that is going to be a very enticing asset and larger discussion that we’ll get into in the offseason. It’s why I’m not going to say you’re in the best spot or one of the best spots, but you’re in a much better spot. And you know, even all the discourse around Kyle Kosma, neither of us are going to try to say Kyle Koosma on the court worked out perfectly for the Bucks. A lot of challenges there. Doc Rivers himself even said wasn’t great. he’s got to be better and and we think he will be. But if you did not make that trade, that’s when you look around and you say, “Man, it’s starting to get really dark pretty early here because you are a second apron team and all the things we said about having a mid-level exception to use and breaking that up between guys and keeping guys. That ain’t happening.” And it’s back to we can pay Gary Trenton Jr. 120% that is it. We can pay these other guys 120%. That is it. So, in that sense, you’re in a whole lot of trouble. So, while it didn’t work out on the court, it gave you a lot of flexibility and versatility off to couple with what is potentially a really tasty asset in that 2031 first round pick. I think you summed that up perfectly. that asset is extremely important, which is why I’ve seen a few different trades thrown out there of like, would you attach your 30 or 2031 first to this if if this is the uh the end goal, which I think some of those options are interesting. Like I saw one where was like, would you do Kyle Kosma and that first for a Cam Johnson for the Nets? And it’s like that’s in like I would actually consider that route because of the player that Cam Johnson is his age and kind of fits into this new younger version of the Bucks, but again, you have to be very careful with it because that’s the only one you can trade out for that time period and you want to make sure it’s for a move that is going to improve your team this year like or improve your team. I can’t see attaching that asset just to do something that does not make you significantly better going forward just to like hey we need like let’s go up Pat’s contract and attach it like we no like don’t that’s not the route I think that the Bucks should take with this first but I mean there’s a lot of conversations to have too about the best usage of that asset if they are going to attach it question of what should the Bucks be looking for in this off season and even I mean we’ve talked about it a bit uh but even just going more in depth about the guys on in this roster who were like they have to get these guys back. Like this is the number one priority offseason after Giannis of course. Uh but these are the guys the Bucks should prioritize and the type of guys that we think would fit in this new idea of point Giannis running this team going forward which a lot of it I think would be what Bucks fans have been saying for some years now which is a younger more athletic team around Giannis. So be interesting as we go through the summer and start having more of these conversations about what the next version of the Giannis Bucks could look like, assuming he’s still here on the team uh next year. A lot uh to hear back from you guys on. Leave your thoughts in the comments about the middle ground for the Bucks. What is the middle ground if they can find it? Uh is that the most valuable asset in all of the NBA, the 2031 first round pick that the Bucks own? and what are some of the things you want to hear from in this very long off seasonason or hear about? So, leave your thoughts in those comments and we’ll address. I think we are tentatively slated to get Frank’s end of season thoughts Thursday night. So, that’ll probably be Friday’s episode to look forward to a little bit later this week. That will do it for today though for Camille. I’m Justin. We’ll talk with you guys once again tomorrow on Locked on Bucks.

Can the Milwaukee Bucks afford to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo? This episode tackles the burning question on every NBA fan’s mind. With the Milwaukee Bucks’ recent playoff exit, the spotlight is on potential trade scenarios involving their star player, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Justin Garcia and Camille Davis explore the team’s future, discussing the impact of a possible trade with the Utah Jazz for Damian Lillard and the strategic value of the Bucks’ 2031 first-round draft pick. They also reflect on the evolution of Bucks fandom and the team’s rise in popularity.

Will the Bucks maintain their competitive edge, or is a major shake-up on the horizon? Tune in for an engaging analysis of the Milwaukee Bucks’ path forward and the pivotal decisions that could reshape their destiny.

0:00 Intro: Discussing trade proposals for Giannis
5:15 Bucks fandom before Giannis era
10:55 Middle ground for Bucks’ future
16:01 Importance of regular season games
21:05 Pacers’ playoff success and Bucks’ history
27:02 Potential Damian Lillard trade with Jazz
32:59 Outro: Valuable 2031 draft pick asset

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