Ranking Bucks' Top Trade Targets After 2025 NBA Playoff Loss
It's red-alert time for the Milwaukee Bucks.
And not only for the fact they just suffered their third first-round exit from the NBA playoffs in as many years.
The postseason struggles are a concern, obviously, but the bigger issue is convincing Giannis Antetokounmpo that those obstacles can be cleared in the future. That was never going to be an easy message to send given the age and cost of this roster and general lack of long-term assets, but it feels borderline impossible after Damian Lillard's untimely (and objectively tragic) Achilles tear.
So, what now? Is it just back to the drawing board in hopes of better aligning the puzzle pieces around Antetokounmpo and hoping for the best with Lillard's recovery? Or might this be the summer in which the two-time MVP seeks out greener pastures and tips off a top-to-bottom rebuilding project for the Bucks?
We're guessing Milwaukee will try desperately to keep Antetokounmpo around, but we're also considering all possibilities when identifying and ranking its three primary trade targets for the summer.
3. Draft Picks (Gulp!)
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Bucks fans should have taken some solace in the fact Antetokounmpo said in February that he wouldn't be the kind of player who forces his way out. But what if his most important words on the topic actually came years before?
"I always envisioned myself to be in Milwaukee for a long time. ... But at the end of the day, before loyalty, winning comes first," Antetokounmpo told Andscape's Marc J. Spears in 2023. "We are judged on winning. I'm a winner. I want to win."
Does Antetokounmpo think high-level winning is still possible in Milwaukee? Lillard is out for the foreseeable future and not getting any younger, Brook Lopez isn't signed (and is older than Lillard), Kyle Kuzma has failed to fill Khris Middleton's shoes and the avenues to improve this roster are limited.
Look, we aren't saying Antetokounmpo will definitely demand a deal, but it's a reasonable enough possibility that it demands consideration. And should he want out—with Lillard assuredly following suit—then Milwaukee would have to be on the hunt for as many draft picks as it could find in hopes of one day selecting its next centerpiece.
2. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Orlando Magic
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Because the Bucks are short on trade chips, their buying power is limited. While they could focus on finding cheap role players, they might have better luck shopping the distressed-asset aisle.
That's quite possibly where Caldwell-Pope resides following a rough first season on the three-year, $66 million deal he signed with Orlando last summer. That's a hefty amount of money for any three-and-D player, but it might be an untenable cost if he can't deliver on the "three" side of that label.
His 34.2 percent connection rate this season was the third-worst of his career and his lowest in nearly a decade. Did the 32-year-old suddenly barrel into the unforgiving brick wall that is age-related decline? Maybe, or perhaps the spacing just isn't the same when your gravitational superstar goes from being Nikola Jokić to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
If the Bucks, who can put a couple gravitational pulls on opposing defenses with Antetokounmpo and a healthy Lillard, could help Caldwell-Pope find his form, they could get good mileage out of him yet. And they shouldn't have to pay much in trade cost to get him given the degree of disappointment he generated this season.
1. Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets
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The Bucks appear in need of a big spark, which is obviously tricky to find when shopping on a budget. Is the situation dire enough to stomach Porter's overpriced salary? It is if doing so would mean not only keeping Antetokounmpo and Lillard around, but giving them a better chance at winning.
Porter can, admittedly, be a frustrating player, as his impact isn't always felt the way a max player's should be. Still, a team like Milwaukee could absolutely be drawn to his blend of efficient scoring, reliable rebounding and floor-spacing.
His scoring average typically lands in the high-teens, and he's a free-throw boost away from pushing for 50/40/90 club membership. Those have to be attractive numbers for a Bucks bunch looking to find more offensive punch from its supporting cast.
Cost would clearly play a major role in a potential Porter pursuit, but if the Nuggets underperform in the playoffs, perhaps they'd seek the kind of big changes that would be easier to make without his contract on the books. The Bucks, who will cost a fortune as long as their stars are around, could be willing to take back that deal if they think doing so would allow them to get a more talented player than they could otherwise afford.
