For any NBA fan there are few days that can rival the anticipation and excitement that comes with the trade deadline. The all-informed Adrian Wojnarowski (Woj for short) drops bombs left and right on trades across the league between teams that are trying to gain as much value out of the assets they want to get rid of, and teams looking to add a final piece for a championship run. This deadline is where GMs analyze their rosters from top to bottom and will look to fill in whatever holes the team may have. Right now the Bucks are leading the pack in the NBA with a 39-6 record. Speaking off that alone you would think GM Jon Horst would be happy to cruise past the deadline without making any changes to the roster, but sometimes GMs feel a need to add another piece to complete the core. Last year we saw the Bucks add forward Nikola Mirotic to the team at the expense of Thon Maker, Jason Smith and four future second round picks. Mirotic added some depth and ability to space the floor from the four position, but overall did not have a tremendous impact and was gone by the end of the season. Will the Bucks try a similar move this year to bolster their bench?
The short answer from me is probably not. This Bucks roster is one that fits very well together and seems to maintain great chemistry. Looking at their starting lineup, there are no glaring holes with three good 3 point shooters (I'm counting Lopez despite his regression this year) and improvements in Bledsoe and Giannis, both of whom are dangerous when attacking the hoop. The starters maintain a great balance of shooting, driving, and knowing how to space and play with each other. Sixth man George Hill has been superb and Donte DiVincenzo has made a leap in his second year. The rest of the unit is rounded out by the ever-reliable Ersan Ilyasova, Pat Connaughton, Sterling Brown, Robin Lopez, and DJ Wilson. Personally, I think Wilson is much more valuable than Bud appears to think and hopefully he'll get some run before the playoffs, but that's yet to be seen. Kyle Korver has been surprising this year, shooting a cool 43% from 3, but his defense could be harder to hide in the playoffs and could lead to him falling out of the rotation. Right now I don't see any needs that would be worth breaking up what the Bucks have. Sure, Connaughton is shooting a rough 28.6% from 3, Brown has seen a dip to 33.8%, and other notable players have seen some regressions, but I don't think that looking for a bench player with a better 3 point percentage would be worth the risk of disrupting chemistry. There are only a few players I would be comfortable with the Bucks targeting, in 3-D types like Robert Covington or Bogdan Bogdanovic, but both are reportedly worth at least a first round pick in addition to the other assets the Bucks would need to add to finish the deal. Personally I think the Bucks are perfect where they are, after all, our success seems to me to be more contingent on the fact that we have the reigning MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is somehow playing better and knows how to work within in our system, rather than succeeding by banking on having an elite bench unit. Hopefully Horst decides that continuity is better than marginal statistical improvement but who knows, wouldn't be the first time I've been
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