The Milwaukee Bucks are in second place in the Eastern Conference, but they don’t appear to be content with where they’re at.
NBA insider Marc Stein shared some interesting words on the Bucks, who recently sent shock waves through the league by firing Adrian Griffin and hiring Doc Rivers.
“You are most certainly advised to continue to classify Milwaukee as super aggressive despite its limited trade assets to work with,” wrote Stein.
“I crossed paths with the Bucks on Saturday night in Dallas and there is an undeniable ‘they’re going to do something’ vibe with the East’s No. 2 team, which clawed out of a 25-point hole on the [Dallas] Mavericks’ floor to deliver Doc Rivers’ first victory (in three tries) since replacing Adrian Griffin as head coach.”
The Bucks were recently linked to Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, but they are not among the two teams that have reportedly made real offers for him.
Stein highlighted the fact that the Bucks are a bit hindered in what moves they can make due to not having a tradable first-round pick and only being able to trade two second-round picks before this season’s trade deadline (Feb. 8). The insider made sure to note that fans should “stay tuned” to Milwaukee with just four days to go until the deadline.
Milwaukee sits at 33-16 at this point in the season, but its players had reportedly “completely tuned out” Griffin before his firing, which came in January.
After trading for Damian Lillard in the offseason, this season is basically championship or bust for the Bucks, who haven’t gotten past the second round of the playoffs since winning a title back in 2021.
Last season’s first-round playoff loss to the Miami Heat, who were the No. 8 seed in the East, was especially painful for the Bucks. The team was essentially in disbelief after the series, while Giannis Antetokounmpo was seemingly considering his future with the franchise due to the loss.
Of course, Antetokounmpo later signed an extension with the franchise, which beat out the Heat for Lillard.
Rivers isn’t off to a great start as head coach of the Bucks (1-2 through three games), but there’s still plenty of time for him to turn things around. He has seven games left before the All-Star break, three of which will come against tough Western Conference opponents (the Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets).
The clock is ticking for the Bucks to make a move, but it seems like fans shouldn’t be surprised if they end up pulling something off.
