Milwaukee Bucks seem poised to trade 2022 NBA Draft pick

The Milwaukee Bucks finally have a first-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft–a rarity since general manager Jon Horst took over in the front office. However, it appears all signs are pointing toward the team trading it away to acquire a veteran player.

It’s coming up on four years since Milwaukee kept the player they selected in the first round. Overall, Horst has been the GM for five years now and has only drafted two players in the first round since that time–D.J. Wilson in 2017 and Donte DiVincenzo in 2018. That streak is likely to extend for at least another year.

Milwaukee owes Houston their 2023 first-rounder, a bunch of firsts to the New Orleans Pelicans thanks to the Jrue Holiday trade (their 2025 and 2027 firsts as well as a pick swap in 2024 and 2026), but due to the Stepien Rule where a team can’t trade consecutive first-rounders ahead of time, they only control their own pick every other year until 2028. That makes this year an oddity.

The Milwaukee Bucks hold the 24th selection in the 2022 NBA Draft, but all signs are pointing toward them trading it for a veteran player.

However, there is a way around the rule where Milwaukee can agree to a trade ahead of time with another team, draft the player they want at no. 24 and then immediately trade him. That appears to be the way Horst and company are leaning, as they try to use their limited assets to get the Bucks back to the NBA Finals after falling short in the second round this year.

During his pre-draft interview last week, Horst took questions on a number of topics, including the draft. He’s already talking about the pick as if it’s an asset for a veteran instead of a rookie. “I think you want to maximize the value of the asset…” Horst said, “I think that you can maximize the value of that asset relative to the need on your team in different ways. It could be trading it outright for something that can help you, attaching it for something that can help you, or drafting a player that’s ready now and can grow with you. It doesn’t mean that we wouldn’t draft a player that can’t really contribute now and really has a big-time horizon and big upside. That’s something we’ll always look at. But I think those other options, in the past, have been more attractive to us and I think we’ve gotten great benefit out of it and I think we’ll continue to focus on those.”

That seems to me like Horst is working the phones and will try his hardest to come up with a trade for a veteran that involves their no. 24 pick. At the same time, if the right player were to fall to them, they would highly consider keeping the pick and adding a young player who can contribute immediately on a very cheap contract. Clear as mud.

Horst obviously didn’t want to tip his hand during that interview and it appears as if he’s doing his due diligence on every scenario. He’s been true to that mantra throughout his tenure, as Milwaukee always seems to have their feelers out when a player becomes available.

The Bucks have a measly $1.5 million trade exception available so any incoming salary they obtain must be matched by outgoing contracts. That could be the trickiest part of acquiring a new player, as Milwaukee is a very top-loaded team. Book Lopez ($13.9 million) and Grayson Allen ($8.5 million) are the only two players currently making less than $32 million but more than $4 million (assuming Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton decline their player options).

Horst should be able to work around that conundrum, but it will severely limit the players he can acquire in any deal.

With just a few days remaining until the NBA Draft, keep your eyes on the rumor mill, as Milwaukee is sure to work the phones.