Can the Bucks address this crisis of theirs amid another middling season?

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The 2024-25 season has been nothing short of trying for the Milwaukee Bucks. Expectations for them were high now that they had a full offseason of work with both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard on the roster under the tutelage of head coach Doc Rivers. However, the Bucks have not been as good as most had envisioned prior to the start of the season — after weathering an uneven start to the season en route to winning the NBA Cup, they’ve gone 6-6, failing to make much headway in the East standings.

At this point, sample size for the Bucks’ mediocrity is only growing by the second. Antetokounmpo may be playing at an MVP level, but it’s hard to envision Milwaukee beating the likes of the Boston Celtics or Cleveland Cavaliers in a seven-game series as presently 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 as well as they would have hoped.

Regardless, with the Bucks being wedded to their current core, all they can do now is add a few pieces to make the most of what they have. This is not to say that they’ve fallen into the sunk cost fallacy; there simply are no reasonable ways for them to add to the roster unless they become willing to part ways 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 the fatal flaw that the Bucks have to address if they were to give the Bucks or the Cavs a worthy challenge for Eastern Conference supremacy.

Bucks need to address lack of identity

Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) and forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) react during the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks in a semifinal of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena.

Candice Ward-Imagn Images

There are some times when lack of depth goes beyond not having enough players to fill 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 weren’t exactly heralded prospects when they came to the NBA.

But there seems to be something missing from the Bucks ever since they traded Jrue Holiday away in the deal that netted them Damian Lillard. One of those missing things has been a lockdown defender at the point of attack, although 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 worrying thing about the Bucks is their lackluster offense; this is a team that should be forcing opposing teams into a conundrum every time Lillard and Antetokounmpo are involved in the action. But it’s the lack of respect other teams have for the players around them that cap the team’s ceiling on that end of the floor.

The Bucks have no reliable shot creators outside of Antetokounmpo, Lillard, and Khris Middleton, and Middleton is even dealing with injuries of his own, forcing Milwaukee into a tough spot. Milwaukee has so many players who are reliant on others to create for them, so when defenses are forcing the role players into biting off more than they can chew, the game becomes difficult for the entire team. They currently rank 15th in terms of points scored per 100 possessions — not exactly a recipe for success considering their middling defense.

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

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

Milwaukee’s trade options are limited

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers takes Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) out of the game in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Fiserv Forum.

Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

The Bucks are a second apron team, which means that they cannot package two or more players in a single trade to match salaries and potentially bring in a more impactful piece. This is quite limiting in what they can do, although they do have the contracts of Bobby Portis ($12.6 million) or Pat Connaughton ($9.4 million) to trade away.

Portis has been a major piece for the Bucks for a while now while Connaughton has been in and out of the rotation — making it more likely for the latter to be traded away. Connaughton’s contract, however, won’t be able to bring in an impactful player anyway, or at least someone who could help take the Bucks to a higher level. A three-team trade (or bigger) may be required, and here are a few trade ideas that could help Milwaukee right the ship.