The Milwaukee Bucks have entered a new era. They no longer have Giannis Antetokounmpo, which means that they are no longer in win-now mode. Every move they make from now on has to be focused on the future rather than the present.
However, they have decided to largely stand pat after trading Giannis. Instead of turning their veterans into future assets, the Bucks are bringing back most of their veterans from last season.
Milwaukee's decision to hold on to its veterans is difficult to understand in general, but it's especially egregious when it comes to AJ Green.
Bucks must seriously consider trading AJ Green
Green has been one of the rare gems the Bucks front office has unearthed over the last several years. They have found him as an undrafted free agent, developed him over the years, and made him a very helpful rotation piece. Now, at age 27, he is one of the best shooters in the league and could contribute to any team trying to win.
The problem is, the Bucks aren't trying to win. Instead, they have to be accumulating assets. And Green is the type of player who can bring back assets in a trade.
Green makes $10 million next season and is under contract for three more seasons after that. He is on a very reasonable contract that will take him to his age-31 season. Given how shooting is a premium skill and teams are always willing to pay for an elite marksman, it's difficult to imagine that contract aging poorly.
Not only has Green hit over 40% from downtown for four straight seasons, but he also does it at an elite volume. He hit three threes per game in less than 30 minutes per game last season, combining unique volume and accuracy.
The most important thing, however, is that Green is not a defensive liability. He gets attacked on that end due to his lack of elite physical and athletic tools, but he largely holds his own. He has decent positional strength and plays with enough intensity to stay in front of a lot of non-elite backcourt players.
Can he bring back an unprotected first-round pick to the Bucks? Probably not. Could he bring back a couple of second-rounders and an intriguing young player? Surely.
There is also the added benefit of opening up playing time for other backcourt players in Milwaukee. The Bucks have a crowded shooting guard rotation that Green will be competing with.
If we assume that Tyler Herro and Ryan Rollins will start in the backcourt, that means that Brayden Burries, Gary Trent Jr., and Caris LeVert will all be coming off the bench, competing for shooting guard minutes. How Taylor Jenkins can find enough minutes to go around will be fascinating to see.
One way to solve this problem is by moving on from players with trade value. Among the group of veterans in the backcourt, Green has the most trade value, and it behooves the Bucks to come to that realization and explore trade scenarios involving him.
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