Bucks GM Slammed by NBA Expert for Post-Championship Moves

The Bucks have desperately tried to stay in the hunt for championships since winning it all back in 2021 over the Phoenix Suns. They thought they would have made the Finals again by this point, though.

Injuries have certainly had an impact on that. Giannis Antetokounmpo was injured for two postseasons in a row, and Damian Lillard tore his Achilles this year.

Still, they should have had more success than they have had in the last four seasons. One NBA expert believes that GM Jon Horst deserves a large amount of blame for that.

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Jon Horst gets blame for Bucks' postseason failures

Michael Piña of The Ringer thinks Horst deserves a lot of the blame for the recent postseason failures.

"Very little has worked since he helped mold a championship team around Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021. Zero draft picks have panned out and his blockbuster trade for Damian Lillard was an overzealous catastrophe. "

It's hard to argue those results. Trading for Lillard was a swing that he took to appease Antetokounmpo, and it could not have flamed out any worse.

Instead of Lillard helping them win another title, they will be paying him $22.5 million per year for the next five years to not be with the team. It's hard for a trade to work out worse than that.

The one thing going for the Bucks is that the rest of the Eastern Conference is going to be weak next season because of injuries to Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum.

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The Bucks might be better off not trying to appease Giannis Antetokounmpo

Because of the mistakes that Horst has made, Piña believes it might not be a good idea to try to appease Antetokounmpo anymore.

"Keeping Antetokounmpo happy is a significant part of his job description, and there’s no arguing his success rate or the logic behind it. But, largely thanks to some baffling decisions that mistake Giannis for an actual superhero, Horst has reached a point where satisfying his franchise player might not actually be in the franchise’s best interest."

Trying to make him happy is what forced him to make the horrendous trade for Lillard. More bad trades could follow if he isn't careful.

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