Milwaukee Bucks fans are waiting to wake up from what feels like a very bad dream. The team faces a 3–1 deficit against the Indiana Pacers, Damian Lillard is more than likely out for the entire 2025–26 season, and Giannis Antetokounmpo may be on the verge of leaving amid yet another rebuild.
Right now, the Bucks are simply searching for answers to an ever-growing list of questions about their future.
Milwaukee is stuck in limbo — not knowing what could go right, and watching everything go wrong.
Let’s break it down:
- They don’t own their 2025, 2027, or 2029 first-round picks
- They hold least favorable pick swaps in 2026, 2028, and 2030
- They don’t own their own first-rounder until 2031
- Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, Kevin Porter Jr., and Gary Trent Jr. are all set to hit free agency
Add it all up, and what you get is one of the greatest European players ever, standing alone — with no real hope of contending for another championship. Grim? Sure. But what if another Eastern Conference team is doing even worse?
Enter the Miami Heat
Fresh off a first-round sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat might be in worse shape than any team in this year’s lottery. Despite sneaking into the playoffs with a 37–45 record as the 10th seed, Miami was completely outmatched — losing by 55 points in a win-or-go-home Game 4 and getting outscored by 122 points across four games.
The Heat’s 2024–25 season reads like a fever dream:
- Jimmy Butler was traded midseason
- Pat Riley continued to call the shots, even as everything crumbled
- Erik Spoelstra suffered the longest losing streak of his career (eight straight losses)
- Terry Rozier was linked to a betting scandal, reminding fans that financial maturity doesn’t always come with an NBA contract
A rebuild on the horizon for the Miami Heat?
Miami’s collapse feels more and more like the early stages of a complete rebuild, and it might start with their most valuable remaining asset: Erik Spoelstra.
Despite being a top-10 coach, a three-time champion, and Team USA’s head coach, Spoelstra could be shown the door if Miami opts for a clean slate — potentially alongside Pat Riley, whose time may finally be up.
Whether it’s building around a new Adebayo/Herro core, or going full reset with a focus on draft development, the options are wide open. But one thing is clear:
The Heat need to choose a direction — fast.
Losing Jimmy Butler may have been the final blow to their old identity. Now it’s time to build a new one.
And, of course, if the Heat blow it up, the Bucks could be right there to snatch up Spoelstra and finally put an elite coach with Giannis and start rebuilding in earnest. Spoelstra and Giannis together aren't enough to put the Bucks over the top but it's a stable core, one that could attract talent and free agents and help give a Milwaukee a leg up as they change the roster.