2019-20 Milwaukee Bucks

2018-19: 60-22 (Conference Finals runner-up)
Draft pick: 30

Signed for next season ($107.4m): Giannis Antetokounpo, George Hill, Eric Bledsoe, Tony Snell, Ersan Ilyasova, DJ Wilson, Donte DiVincenzo, Pat Connaughton, Sterling Brown
Without Middleton and/or Brogdon, this will be an entirely different team. They've still got Giannis, Coach Bud and a decent collection of supporting guys but bringing back Brogdon is absolutely essential and replacing Middleton will be the challenge of the summer. Lopez, too, would be nice to have but he may have shot himself into a bigger contract than Milwaukee can afford.
Otherwise, this is a pretty good bunch of foils for Giannis.


This summer's free agents: Khris Middleton (player option), Nikola Mirotic, Brook Lopez, Malcolm Brogdon, Pau Gasol, Tim Frazier
I suspect Middleton is gone. Here's the deal: all year long I thought the Bucks were Giannis first, everyone else tied for second; but it dawned on me in the playoffs that it is actually Middleton first, Giannis second and then everyone else third. So they've got to get a guy that pushes Giannis's buttons just right and then rebuild the attack. I don't think it's Middleton, I think he's got a bigger payday waiting him elsewhere.
Mirotic, on the other hand, probably won't be back. He was nice in theory and over the course of a full season might give them what they got from Lopez last season. But I suspect he'll be somewhere else (Grizzlies, Lakers, Clippers).
I figured Lopez would be too expensive for them but I think they'll bring him back (and probably regret it).
They've got to bring back Brogdon. Whatever he asks for, just give it to him and get back to work.
Gasol was a locker room presence for the playoffs, not a player for the long term. I guess Pau can still play some but I'm not really sure where he goes (Warriors or Raptors, I'd guess).
I kinda like Frazier as a 3rd string PG, not top of the priorities but a nice pickup if there's still money left at the end of the shopping spree.


At #30 I'd grab Carsen Edwards (Purdue) and hope he's as smart as he looks. Let him work out his rook year just watching the interplay between Giannis and Brogdon. That'll be all the coaching he'll need.


Next year's lineup:
PG Brogdon, SG Bledsoe, SF Giannis, PF Snell, C Lopez with Brown, Frazier, Hill, Connaughton, DiVincezo, Ilyasova and Wilson off the bench. (Could use some size, like Greg Monroe?)

If Giannis is healthy this could be the best team in the East. But they'll need to get the supporting cast in line as quick as possible. Even still, they'll be running up against the Sixers and Raptors all year long.