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The Bucks entered this season under IMMENSE pressure.
They were good enough and better prepared to win a championship. Giannis Antetokounmpo was approaching his super maximum decision. His supporting cast was getting old.
However, Milwaukee didn’t even pay the luxury tax to build the best possible team.
That seems especially suspicious after the Bucks’ second-round blackout against the Heat.
So perhaps in a last-ditch effort, Milwaukee is struggling to impress Antetokounmpo. After preaching chemistry and continuity, refusing to trade players like Eric Bledsoe, the Bucks are now talking about spending more.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
ESPN Sources: MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 3-hour lunch with Bucks co-owner / governor Marc Lasry on Friday covered the season, how the Bucks can improve the roster, Lasry confirmed a willingness to spend on luxury taxes and the agreement that they will speak again after Giannis returns from vacation.
– Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 14, 2020
Chris Haynes from Yahoo Sports:
The Bucks are committed to building and maintaining a championship roster around Antetokounmpo and he is expected to be one of the busiest teams this offseason.
Shams Charania from Athletic:
Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe is under contract for several seasons and had another outstanding season earning Team All-Defensive honors, but is expected to become a potential business candidate, sources told The Athletic.
This feels like too little, too late.
With Milwaukee so good and the older Antetokounmpo supporting cast, THIS would have been the season to spend the most on the roster.
And the Bucks had opportunities. They could have stayed with Malcolm Brogdon. Once he agreed to sign and trade Brogdon to the Pacers, Milwaukee could likely have generated a $ 10 million trade exception with only minimal disruption elsewhere on the roster. The Bucks could have traded the picks they acquired from Indiana (one 2020 first round and two future second round picks) for a current player.
Although Milwaukee did the best it could for a time, the plan failed. A player like Brogdon could have helped.
The Bucks can say they didn’t trust Brogdon’s long-term health or that no good trade offers emerged for the Pacers’ picks. But it is impossible to ignore the evasion of the luxury tax. Milwaukee also traded two first-round picks in recent years to ditch the salary.
If Antetokounmpo is set on a long-term contract, how could he trust the Bucks to spend a lot during the deal? They did not pay the luxury tax even amid the high stakes this year. This promise comes only with your back against the wall.
Antetokounmpo has drawn attention for defending his loyalty to Milwaukee. But his views on loyalty are nuanced.
“As long as me and the Bucks are on the same page and build an organization that is about winning and nothing more than that, I want to be here,” Antetokounmpo told me last year.
The Brogdon saga didn’t seem like an organization that was all about winning and nothing more.
It is not too late to make amends. But it will be a challenge with just one year until Antetokounmpo’s contract expires. Milwaukee players saw their business values drop with the disappointing end of the season.
But the willingness to pay the luxury tax will at least open doors to improve the list.
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