FanPost

Nwora Explosion, How can the roster be improved going forward?



So, this season is far from over. The Bucks are title contenders and we should all just live in the moment. We may very well be hoisting a trophy in June! But I'm not that kind of fan. I'm the watch a game here and there and then fill the interwebs with pointless speculation type fan! So with that being said, I'm already looking ahead to a potential Bucks dynasty and wondering - how do we take the next step with a maxed out cap situation and no picks? There are a couple of avenues

1. Trading Khris this offseason. My last fanpost explored a potential Kawhi addition using Khris as the S&T piece.

2. Continued growth from Jordan Nwora. The buzz around this guy is kind of MPJ-esque. He's got an incredible knack for scoring. I don't know that he has the lateral athleticism to become as good a defender as MPJ has, but unlocking Nwora can take this team to the next level offensively. I'd start looking for Giannis at the 5 lineups with Nwora playing PF. Currently that would look like Jrue/DDV/Khris/Nwora/Giannis. He needs to learn how to fit in with the A-team, but if Nwora becomes the B+ version of MPJ the offense just looks crazy.

3. Nwora's improvement and Giannis at the 5 brings me to the next idea - trading Brook. Lopez + Connaughton adds up to 17.7 million - a healthy salary in a sign and trade situation. That could be enough for a Norm Powell, Tim Hardaway Jr., Duncan Robinson, Evan Fournier, Will Barton, Oladipo (if he improves), or even a Lonzo Ball or John Collins. Heck, it could even be enough for Kyle Lowry (but that's a stretch) Packaging those players (who are very tradeable for the acquiring team) and our 2RP for a wing that can defend on the perimeter and add another shooting threat could take the team to an absolutely elite level. No longer would the team be handicapped by Brook in the playoffs - instead, Giannis would shift to the five and an absolute firestorm of shooting would engulf all opponents.

Note that both Brook and Connaughton are the kind of players who can be flipped for assets - not great assets, but legitimate assets - by the acquiring team. Both are net positives.

4. The right vet minimum guys. Resigning Bobby Portis is essential, as is bringing back Jeff Teague. Resigning PJ would be awesome, Snell, Danny Green, Wes Matthews, etc would be great. Getting a couple of minutes absorbing centers to cushion the Brook loss so that Giannis doesn't have to expend all his energy playing the five in the regular season would be key as well. Ibaka, Marjanovic, McGee, Holmes, Davis, Theis, Robin, Dieng, Drummond, Olynyk, Millsap, Looney, and even Tacko could contribute in this role.

Result: A crazy lineup that looks something like - Jrue/Powell/Khris/Nwora/Giannis with DDV as the 6th man, Teague, Portis, Theis(?), Snell(?) and Thanasis all contributing regularly off the bench. Dynasty time baby!!

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