A fatal mistake the Bucks must correct at the 2025 NBA trade deadline

The 2024-25 season was nothing but a try for Milwaukee Bucks. Expectations were high for them now that they had a full offseason to work with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard on the roster under head coach Doc Rivers. However, the Dollars were not as good as most imagined before the start of the season — after overcoming an uneven start to the season en route to winning the NBA Cup, they went 6-6, failing to make much progress in the East standings.

At this point, the sample size for Bucks mediocrity is only growing by the second. Antetokounmpo may be playing at an MVP level, but it’s hard to imagine Milwaukee beating the Boston Celtics or Cleveland Cavaliers in a seven-game series as currently constructed. Being as good as the team has been for nearly a decade now has its costs, and they put all their eggs in the Lillard basket, and that gambit hasn’t quite worked out the way they’d hoped.

Regardless, with The Bucks are tied to their current coreall they can do now is add a few pieces to make the most of what they have. This is not to say that they fell into the delusion of sunk costs; there simply aren’t any reasonable ways to add to the roster unless they become willing to part with one of Lillard, Khris Middleton or Brook Lopez — and all indications suggest that Milwaukee may not be inclined to do so.

To that end, this is a fatal flaw that the Bucks must address if they want to give the Bucks or Cavs a worthy challenge for Eastern Conference supremacy.

The Bucks need to address their lack of identity

There are times when the lack of depth goes beyond not having enough players to fill out a winning rotation. The Bucks, to their credit, have gotten plenty of contributions from the likes of Andre Jackson Jr. and AJ Green, both of whom were not exactly heralded prospects when they entered the NBA.

But the Bucks seem to be missing something since they traded Jrue Holiday in the deal that brought them Damian Lillard. One of those things lacking is locking down the defender at the point of offense, though it’s a testament to the defensive impact of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez that their defense ranks 11th this season — an improvement over last year’s performance.

However, the most concerning thing about the Bucks is their lackluster offense; this is the team that should be forcing opposing teams into a conundrum every time Lillard and Antetokounmpo are involved in action. But the lack of respect other teams have for the players around them caps the team’s ceiling on that end of the floor.

The Bucks don’t have reliable shot creators outside of Antetokounmpo, Lillard and Khris Middleton, and Middleton is even dealing with his own injuries, putting Milwaukee in a tough spot. Milwaukee has so many players who rely on others to create for them, so when defenses force players to bite off more than they can chew, the game becomes difficult for the entire team. They currently ranks 15th in terms of points scored per 100 possessions — not exactly a recipe for success given their middling defense.

Even the Bucks’ last great team (at least in the regular season) wasn’t very skilled on offense; during their 58-win campaign in 2022-23, they ranked 15th in offensive rating. of course their elite defense then it more than made up for it. But now, this Bucks team seems to be caught between two minds on what appears to be a somewhat muddled way to build a roster.

At this point, choosing an identity and building around said identity is something the Bucks have to address.

Milwaukee’s trade options are limited

The Bucks are the second team, which means they can’t package two or more players in one trade to match salary and potentially bring in a more impactful piece. This is quite limiting in terms of what they can do, even though they have the contracts of Bobby Portis ($12.6 million) or Pat Connaughton ($9.4 million) to trade.

Portis has been the go-to guy for the Bucks for some time, while Connaughton has been in and out of the rotation – making the latter more likely to be traded. Connaughton’s deal, however, won’t be able to bring in an impact player anyway, or at least someone who could help take the Bucks to the next level. A trade with three teams (or more) may be required, and here are some trade ideas it could help Milwaukee right the ship.