It feels like the Milwaukee Bucks are in the mix for every enticing young free agent on the market this summer. While saying goodbye to Giannis Antetokounmpo was a tough blow, the team still has far-reaching aspirations and the bones of an exciting rebuild. But they're still in talent accumulation mode, which is why they're reported to be registering interest in shooting guard/small forward Bennedict Mathurin, the No. 6 pick in the 2022 draft
According to the latest round of offseason intel from Hoops Hype's Michael Scotto, the Bucks are one of five teams interested in Mathurin, with the Los Angeles Clippers remaining interested in retaining the 24-year-old. Scotto also noted the Bucks have their mid-level exception worth approx. $15 million available, or could acquire Mathurin via sign-and-trade using the $25 million traded player exception (TPE) they created in the Giannis trade.
But to make a deal like this work, the Bucks would manage with a significant roster crunch. They'd have a glut of guards and wings all fighting for the same minutes, while veteran starters like Kyle Kuzma and Myles Turner wind up in unnecessarily vital roles for a rebuilding team.
So one way or another, it seems like more trades at on the horizon for the Milwaukee Bucks.
With or without Bennedict Mathurin, the Milwaukee Bucks need to make serious edits to the roster.
The Milwaukee Bucks have 17 players under contract for next season, and that's not including two-ways. Regardless of their next offseason move, the writing has been on the wall that they need to trim this roster down by the start of the season. It's made easier by the fact that Pete Nance's deal appears to be non-guaranteed, but they still have one more player than they're supposed to.
Considering this team is going all-in on its youth movement, it's safe to assume one of the veterans will be on the move. Fresh off his contentious new long-term signing, it's safe to say that Gary Trent Jr. isn't going anywhere. So the most likely remaining candidates include forward Kyle Kuzma on an expiring contract, or center Myles Turner, who's entering the second season of a four-year deal.
Interestingly enough, neither of those players occupies the same position as Bennedict Mathurin, raising even more questions about how they could make this rotation fit. The minutes he would occupy are directly blocked by the two biggest names the Bucks got back for Giannis in Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr. — both of whom are under consideration for contract extensions.
The other elephant in the room is Caris LeVert, whose contract was absorbed by the Bucks for some second-round draft capital earlier in the summer. He technically could be rerouted on another expiring $14 million deal, although it seems like the Bucks want to preserve some of that expiring money to help them pay their younger guys next summer.
So the Milwaukee Bucks' path to adding Bennedict Mathurin is a tricky one, but it speaks to a larger truth about the cycle of their offseason. The Bucks aren't done making moves just yet — it's just a matter of which order they handle them in, and what it means for the season ahead.
Add us as a preferred source on Google