3 panic trades for Bucks after Giannis Antetokounmpo’s troubling comments

The Milwaukee Bucks face several unanswered questions after back-to-back first round losses in the NBA Playoffs. We can pull the injury card, which would be valid, but the Bucks continue to fall short on the postseason stage. At a certain point, for a team with such lofty expectations and so much star-power, excuses fall by the wayside.

Confidence is waning in what this Bucks team can accomplish. Giannis is coming off arguably his best individual season and it feels like Milwaukee is a total afterthought in the East. Maybe we all feel silly in four months when the Bucks are a No. 1 seed and Giannis is gunning for his third MVP award, but the reasons for doubt are plentiful.

Damian Lillard's much-hyped arrival last season did not play out as expected. The veteran point guard was beset by injuries as the toils of a long and successful career caught up to him. Dame couldn't defend (even less than normal) and he didn't have his trademark burst on offense, leading to more stifled drives or flat jumpers than we're accustomed to from the eight-time All-Star. If he's healthy and back to 100 percent this season, the narrative will flip. But, he's 34, so it's not unreasonable to think that Dame is simply... on the decline.

The entire Bucks roster is old, frankly, and Doc Rivers has not won a championship since 2008. His goodwill and benefit of the doubt has run dry. If the Bucks don't perform, folks will start asking hard questions. In fact, Giannis is already getting ahead of the curve, wondering what might happen if Milwaukee loses in the playoffs again.

Here's a rather telling comment made to Sam Amick of The Athletic:

"Do you have it in the back of your mind, like, ‘(What) if this year doesn’t go well?’ Yeah, if we don’t win a championship, I might get traded. Yeah, this is the job we live. This is the world we’re living in. It’s everybody."

Big oof. The pressure is on for Milwaukee. Here are a few potential panic trades to right the ship before it's too late.

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3. Bucks trade Bobby Portis Sr. to the Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are loaded with quality wings and draft picks, but short on frontcourt depth with Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams both hurt to begin the season. Chet Holmgren is perfectly competent as the starting five until Hartenstein's return, but another productive center could do OKC some good. Especially if it's Bobby Portis Sr., whose skill set makes him adaptable to multiple personnel groups.

Portis isn't your standard OKC big man on paper — he's a physical, try-hard defender, but the rim protection is lacking — but he's a tremendous offensive boost to any second unit. His shooting and face-up scoring at the five spot is difficult for most defenses to contain, and he would fit seamlessly in an OKC offense that prioritizes constant rim pressure and ball movement. Portis attacking a rotating defense or feasting on open spot-up 3s tends to bear positive results.

Milwaukee, on the other hand, gets a dependable 3-and-D wing in Kenrich Williams, one of the most underrated bench cogs in the NBA. Ousmane Dieng hasn't shown much at the NBA level, but he's a major athlete with serious upside — a quality this aging Bucks roster lacks. Dieng can offer long-term growth potential while Williams slots into an immediate role with the second unit.

This trade should work out for both sides. The Bucks address their failing perimeter defense, the Thunder get a flexibile frontcourt body, and both sides go home happy.

2. Bucks swap Pat Connaughton for 76ers' KJ Martin

The heart of this trade is KJ Martin for Pat Connaughton, which ought to appeal on some level to both sides. Connaughton wasn't great last season for the Bucks, but he's a movement shooting wing who pairs nicely with Joel Embiid on paper. Martin hasn't played much for Philadelphia 76ers, but he's a young-ish wing with athleticism, something the Bucks need more of.

In order to balance the finances, Taurean Prince and Eric Gordon are tossed in as collateral. The Sixers add length and more offensive dynamism on the wing with this trade, while the Bucks add a properly dynamic frontcourt athlete in Martin and a bombs-away shooter in Gordon.

Philadelphia and Milwaukee may hesitate to do business together as conference foes, but just last season Patrick Beverley and Cam Payne were swapped at the trade deadline. Daryl Morey has never been afraid to call up rivals if the right addition is on the table, and there could be mutual benefits to this deal.

The Bucks accomplish two goals here — getting younger, and getting more athletic. Martin was a starter in Houston not long ago, where his vertical flourishes, occasional 3-point shooting, and gutsy defense made him a fan favorite.

1. Bucks trade Damian Lillard to Miami after all this time

The Bucks would presumably receive a first-round pick or two for good measure. The Miami Heat tried their best to acquire Damian Lillard last summer, but lacked the resources to pull it off. Dame's value has depreciated since arriving in Milwaukee, however, and it could take a full-blown pivot to correct course.

The Bucks spring for depth instead of star-power. Terry Rozier can pile up buckets in the backcourt, even if he's not quite as dynamic as Lillard behind the 3-point line. The Bucks still have a twitchy halfcourt creator to set up the offense and work two-man actions with Gianns, while Duncan Robinson and Josh Richardson both figure to factor into Doc Rivers' rotation.

Kel'el Ware is the most intriguing player involved in this trade, however. The reigning No. 15 pick has been a standout all summer with Miami. The Bucks need an heir to Brook Lopez's role in the starting five and Lopez was a popular point of comparison for Ware pre-draft. He's a talented drop coverage rim protector who flashes shooting range out to the 3-point line. Ware is also a nuclear athlete, comfortable running the floor like a gazelle and finishing lobs high above the rim. He would be precisely what Milwaukee needs at the five spot long term.

This gets the Dame contract off the books, increases the Bucks' flexibility for future maneuvers, and satisfies Miami's well-documented desire to pair Dame with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. This deal has legitimate win-win potential, although there is risk in retooling around Giannis at this stage.