1 player Milwaukee Bucks must trade in 2025 NBA offseason

When the Bucks traded away franchise legend Khris Middleton to the Washington Wizards to bring in Kyle Kuzma, the NBA world was stunned. Middleton may no longer be a spring chicken, and his inability to stay healthy was starting to be a problem, but he showed in last year’s playoffs that at his best, he can still be a handful to deal with.

But with the Bucks being an aging team who lacked the athleticism to keep up with the heavy demands of a grueling regular season, they decided to take a chance on Kuzma, someone who hasn’t played for a winning team in nearly four years. Kuzma gave the Bucks more size to contend on the glass and a more active defender on the perimeter, and, perhaps most importantly, someone who can suit up and play a heavy minutes on a nightly basis.

However, it became apparent quickly that Kuzma doesn’t even come close to possessing the upside that Middleton had. Kuzma was a no-show in the playoffs and hardly provided the scoring punch or the two-way impact that the Bucks sorely needed against the Pacers. Heck, even head coach Doc Rivers lost trust in Kuzma and decided to demote him to the bench during the pivotal Game 5.

What made Rivers’ decision so alarming is that the Bucks did not have the best depth in the first place, and Kuzma was supposed to be this game-changing piece who ended up rotting on the bench with their season on the line.

The silver lining is that Kuzma only has two years remaining on his current contract and at descending dollar value as well, which should make it a bit easier for the Bucks to trade him away. The Bucks could dangle Kuzma to bring in an upgrade (packaging it with their 2031 first-round pick), but with the 29-year-old forward’s declining production, it will be hard to get anything worthwhile. At this point, including that pick may be necessary to get off his contract.

But it’s clear that Kuzma is one of the only tradeable assets the Bucks have, and if that doesn’t paint a picture of how dire things are for them, nothing else will.

Giannis Antetokounmpo: to ask out or not to?

Giannis Antetokounmpo has long been thought of as the kind of player who would stick it out with one team for his entire career. He’s already won a championship anyway, so it’s not like it’s the most pressing thing in the world for him to compete for another title. But Antetokounmpo has made his desire to win more than one ring no secret, which could then lead to him engineering an exit from the Bucks.

Unless the Bucks manage to swing the biggest trade larceny of all time, it’s not likely for the Bucks to be among the league’s inner-circle contenders anytime soon, even with Antetokounmpo playing at an MVP-level. So as much as Antetokounmpo would want to follow the Kobe Bryant path, asking out may be his best chance at competing for another title while he’s still in his prime.