I don’t often comment on the Brew Hoop staff article or fan posts, but I read almost all of them. I appreciate all of the great takes by the BH staff and all of the fan insight on this page, reading it is often one of the highlights of my day. I have played a ton of basketball and coached it at the middle and high school level so I know the game fairly well. With that being said, I need help understanding why the Bucks haven’t made a move to grab another big?

It seems like the team is being hurt by their lack of depth behind Giannis, Brook, and Bobby. There are no minute-soakers to play in blow outs, or if one of the bigs gets into foul trouble (at least that Bud seems willing to play). Portis has been stuck playing in blowouts with the end of the bench. Based on his fiery personality and willingness to mix it up, it doesn’t seem to bother him so far. As a crucial part of this team and 6th man type, I would rather keep him fresh and happy by leaving the bench minutes for someone else. The Thanasis minutes are… interesting. He does not fit the role of a big in my opinion, even if his limited game leaves him no other spot on the floor. Based on the eye test, the Bucks seem to struggle with rebounding when it is Portis and Thanasis as the bigs (though I have not dived into the stats on this).

Unless Bud has a change of heart related to giving DJ Wilson some love, it seems like the Bucks are destined to roll with small lineups. This is preferable to me in the playoffs, but does not seem sustainable over the course of the regular season, especially with the tumultuous nature of this season brought on by COVID. The Bucks have been fortunate with injuries the last few years, but if one or more of the top three bigs got COVID or was a close contact, the Bucks would struggle mightily. It seems like they are playing with fire.

Additionally, I think the sooner you can work a new player into Bud’s system the better the chemistry will be. We have seen bigs struggle with some of the things Bud asks them to do, so the longer they have in his system the better. I have flashbacks of adding Mirotic at the deadline. Despite obvious talent, it never felt like he was comfortable and did not mesh with the rest of the squad.

I am not a cap guru, but I know that based on the current cap situation the Bucks don’t have any space to sign anyone outright. I think that there are still some routes to adding a big that Bud might be willing to play, but I am not sure. I would be willing to make a trade that included DJW or Thanasis (not likely) to gain some cap relief. Dealing Pat would be an option, but I doubt that it happens based on Bud’s willingness to play him and his relationship with Giannis. I know that the Bucks would have to wait to deal him anyway.

So I guess my question is why the Bucks haven’t made a move, either to clear some cap or make a trade, for a backup big man? Is this solely related to their tough cap situation? Or is this a commitment to a smaller lineup moving forward?

If the Bucks did make a move for a big man, who would be available in a trade for one of our bench guys? Should they wait for a buyout market player? Or who would you like to see on a minimum deal if the Bucks could make some space?

Dwayne Dedmon? Ersan? Dragan Bender (signed in Europe but can sign in NBA for a while I think)? Henson? Who else?

Thanks for any feedback!