There’s something different the Milwaukee Bucks need to do and Everyone knows it. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, head coach Doc Rivers is thinking about making some significant changes to the roster.
“There’s starting to be rumblings that Doc Rivers is looking for a change or two to some of their core pieces,” Windhorst recently said on ESPN.
“Not Dame or Giannis, but potentially looking at another maneuver they could make to alter their team. I think they could be active in the trade market coming up. I think it’s less likely than Philly or New York that they could make this big move, but don’t forget about Milwaukee.”
As Windhorst notes, the Bucks are not going to trade either of their two biggest starts, Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, it sounds like everyone else on the roster is, at least in Milwaukee’s mind, expendable on the trade market.
Obviously, one of the better players on the Bucks’ roster is three-time All-Star forward Khris Middleton. With Lillard and Giannis either out or limited in their most recent postseason loss, Middleton averaged 24.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game.
Over the years, Middleton has also been one of the Bucks’ biggest postseason heroes. In the 2021 NBA Finals, he averaged 24.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game, which included a 40-point performance.
He also has two years left on his three-year $102 million deal he signed last offseason. If the Bucks were to shop him, Middleton would garner a hefty price.
And that is exactly what Bleacher Report‘s Allen Stiles believes the Warriors would be willing to pay:
“If you did Wiggins and Moody for Khris Middleton and if they want somebody else, I don’t know if they would want a Podziemski, somebody like that. And I know a lot of people are high on Podziemski.
“Here’s the other thing about the Warriors, there’s [the decision on] whether you make a big move or a small move. And then there’s also [the question of], ‘Is Klay is going to stay or not?’ Right, because if Klay isn’t going to stay then you have to start looking at guards, in my opinion.
“If Klay is going to stay then that changes things, so I do think that that matters. You have Khris Middleton for Wiggins, Moody and whoever they want to add.”
On the surface, this trade may appear to make some sense. After all, Wiggins is a former NBA Rookie of the Year and one-time All-Star. However, there are a few things wrong with this trade.
There is a large portion of Bucks fans that do not like Middleton and were dismayed that Milwaukee re-signed him last year. They cite his injuries and few poor postseason performances prior to their NBA Finals run as reasons for their attitudes towards him.
This group conveniently forgets that the Bucks would not have won the title without Middleton, who was the team’s best player when Giannis went down with a hyperextended knee. They also look over the fact that Middleton carried Milwaukee to two wins in their series loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Beyond these things, though, there is a problem with the package the Bucks would be receiving in return.
Wiggins just got done with his worst statistical season as a professional. In 2023-24, he averaged 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. He also shot 35.8% from three, which is a good figure and all, but he had made 38% of his threes or better in the three previous seasons.
In other words, he is a star in decline, something the Bucks do not need.
