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Milwaukee Bucks: 3 Wishes For Trade Deadline

By Brian Sampson

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Mike Budenholzer of the Milwaukee Bucks watches during the first half against the LA Clippers at Staples Center on November 06, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Mike Budenholzer of the Milwaukee Bucks watches during the first half against the LA Clippers at Staples Center on November 06, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. /
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Despite their elite record, the Milwaukee Bucks have a few areas they could look to upgrade heading into the final weeks of the NBA’s trade season.

The Milwaukee Bucks are cruising through the regular season. At 36-6, they own the best record in the NBA and are a whopping seven games ahead of the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference. Now that’s dominance.

However, that doesn’t mean they don’t have areas they can improve in. No team is perfect and the Bucks are no exception. Despite winning 86 percent of their games this season, they can certainly improve their roster in very distinct ways.

With the trade deadline looming on February 6th, here are three additions general manager Jon Horst would love to make to his team:

Athletic Power Forward

The Bucks are deep at just about every position, including power forward. However, they could stand an upgrade in certain areas behind Giannis Antetokounmpo.

As of now, Ersan Ilyasova is the primary backup to the Greek Freak. And he does just fine by most measurements. He knocks down 37 percent of his threes and rebounds 22.7 percent of his opponent’s missed shots (both above league-average) all while making the little plays on defense that aren’t necessarily noted in box scores.

Behind him sits D.J. Wilson who has spent most of this season with his butt glued to the bench. That’s unfortunate because Wilson flashed some potential this time last season while filling in for an injured Ilyasova. However, he appears to have fallen out of favor with head coach Mike Budenholzer, as Dragan Bender even played ahead of him on Tuesday night against the New York Knicks.

Back to Ilyasova-despite his play this season, there’s one type of player he’s struggled to guard consistently; athletic power forwards. The most recent example came against the San Antonio Spurs when he was routinely matched up with Rudy Gay. Gay had no issue getting what he wanted against Ilyasova and proved to be a matchup problem.

Given Budenholzer’s apparent lack of trust in Wilson, the Bucks could add a more athletic and dynamic power forward at the trade deadline. It wouldn’t have to be a huge splash, but it would provide Budenholzer an alternative in case the Bucks match up against the Celtics or Toronto Raptors.

Size On The Wing

The wing is another area the Bucks are short on talent. Wesley Matthews and Khris Middleton provide a nice 1-2 punch in the starting lineup. Donte DiVincenzo and Pat Connaughton, both undersized for the 2 and 3 positions, are the primary backups with Kyle Korver and Sterling Brown also providing depth.

Come playoff time, it would be difficult to ask any of the four backups to take on a significant defensive role against a bigger wing. It would also be difficult to ask Matthews and Middleton to solely take on those roles. Although they are both up to the task, the Bucks want to keep Middleton away from primary defensive responsibilities unless they absolutely have to. This keeps him fresh and allows him to help run the offense.

Adding another wing who can space the floor and provide adequate defense against some of the better wing scorers in the league would be a nice boost come playoff time. This player would ease the workload of his teammates and have an indirect impact on both ends of the court.

dark. Next. Is Middleton's contract paying off?

Shooting

Speaking of spacing the floor, the Bucks could use some more shooting. Which team couldn’t? Despite shooting the third-highest percentage of their shots from behind the arc according to Cleaning the Glass, they only rank 19th in accuracy.

Of course, it doesn’t help when regular contributors such as Donte DiVincenzo, Brook Lopez, Pat Connaughton and Robin Lopez are all shooting below 30 percent on the season.

Korver was a free agent addition in the offseason and he’s done his part by making 40 percent of his threes. However, his playability in the postseason is a huge question mark. If the Bucks want to truly maximize Antetokounmpo and the attention he commands, they’d be wise to look at adding another shooter who can at least play a lick of defense.

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