The uncertainty around the Milwaukee Bucks' offseason isn't letting up any time soon. Until a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade is announced, Bucks fans will be wondering what the present and future hold for the franchise. It's currently unclear whether Milwaukee will try to stay competitive next season or take a step back and rebuild from the bottom.
This will largely depend on the return in the Antetokounmpo trade. Only then can the Bucks start thinking about what to do with the rest of their roster.
Bucks should try to include Kyle Kuzma in the Giannis trade.
One decision that has to be made will be about Kyle Kuzma's future. The 30-year-old forward is under contract for one more season in Milwaukee and is due $20.5 million. On paper, the Bucks could keep him around for another season and let him walk in free agency next summer. But could they trade him and get anything of value in return? Or are they stuck with him until his contract expires?
The decision to trade for Kuzma towards the end of the 2024-25 season certainly backfired. He hasn't been able to give the Bucks what they have been looking for. He was a complete disaster in the playoffs last year and was largely ineffective this year.
As a Buck, the veteran forward made only 34.2% of his threes on 3.8 attempts per game. Neither the volume nor the accuracy was good enough to be a reliable floor-spacer around Antetokounmpo. His effort and intensity level waxed and waned, and he wasn't able to make a difference on the defensive side of the ball.
If any team around the league has an interest in Kuzma, it won't be for his on-court production. They could see some value in his $20.5 million expiring salary, which they can use to open up cap space next summer. Unfortunately, there won't be any teams willing to give up anything of value to acquire him.
The problem is that Kuzma doesn't fit into either the competitive or the rebuilding version of the Bucks. He is not a very good off-ball player or a defender, creating problems for teams trying to win. If you are a rebuilding team, he doesn't space the floor enough to help develop your young players.
So, ideally, Kuzma wouldn't be on the Bucks next season. The best way to ensure that would be to include him in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. Adding his salary to the trade package would be the cleanest way to part ways with Kuzma.
Otherwise, the Bucks could keep him around until the trade deadline and see if there will be any teams willing to acquire him at that point. At some point over the next year, Kuzma's time in Milwaukee will come to an end, whether it's by the expiration of his contract or a trade.
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