The Milwaukee Bucks made an interesting move over the weekend by signing Thanasis Antetokounmpo to a one-year contract. The move leaves the Bucks in an odd position with 17 players and 15 roster spots. Overall, the move seems like a desperate attempt to rekindle old magic as the Bucks face increasing pressure from young teams in their conference and division, including the Detroit Pistons.
Milwaukee Bucks: Team on the Decline
Last season, the Bucks finished 48-34 as the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference. It was their worst finish since 2018, and also the first time losing the Central Division since then. Both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers finished ahead of the Bucks in the standings last season.
Next season, the Pistons are also aiming to be the next Central team to pass the Bucks in the standings. Milwaukee lost star point guard Damian Lillard to an Achilles tear in the playoffs last season, which set them up for a tumultuous offseason.
Most projections for next season have the Pistons above the Bucks, as the Bucks’ roster looks quite weak outside of superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, the Pistons have struggled mightily head-to-head against the Bucks for years, including last season, so they still need to slay that bogeyman.
The Pistons have smartly taken a patient approach to the offseason, focusing on adding pieces to build around their core rather than swinging for a big move that could hit or miss. The Bucks are in a different position and have made multiple moves in the last few seasons which were big bets. Arguably all of the ones in the last couple of seasons have backfired for Milwaukee, leaving them as an underdog in the East next season.
This latest move to bring back Thanasis Anteotokoumpo shows a desire to establish team chemistry, rather than any on-court contributions from Thanasis. The Bucks will now have to make moves to ship out a couple players in order to make room for him. The Pistons may actually be in a good position to facilitate such a trade, as they still have a roster spot open and a trade exception.
Although I would have liked to see the trade exception used to add immediate young depth at key positions, the inevitable truth is that most trade exceptions end up going unused or at best exchanged for draft compensation. In this case, a young player or draft pick may come back to the Pistons.
The Bucks are once again making desperate moves to maximize their appeal to Giannis, and the Pistons may be able to take advantage this time.