The Milwaukee Bucks have had quite the offseason. Even before their 2025 playoff ended, the Bucks knew they’d be without Damian Lillard for the 2025-26 season, who suffered an Achilles tear. On top of that, there were reports of Giannis Antetokounmpo wanting to leave and try to get a shot at competing for a championship again.
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The Bucks front office got to work and made a ton of changes. They parted ways with Brook Lopez, but brought in Myles Turner instead. They stretched and waived Lillard‘s contract, and signed Cole Anthony, Amir Coffey, and Garry Harris. On top of that, they re-signed seven players, including Bobby Portis and Gary Trent Jr.
Despite all their moves, the Bucks still aren’t thought of as a top seed in the East, even with the Celtics and Pacers being left out due to their injured stars. Rachel Nichols and Chris Mannix talked about the same in a recent video. Talking about the mid-tier teams in the East, they discussed the Hawks, and then right after, Mannix said, “The team that I am putting in the middle after them[Hawks] is Milwaukee. And I don’t know where else to put them, really. You can’t put them in the contender position.”
Mannix acknowledged Giannis’ greatness, “Even though Giannis is still Giannis, arguably the top two-way player in the NBA, MVP candidate once again.” Antetokounmpo is a perennial MVP candidate and has been so ever since 2019. On top of that, he’s a threat on the defensive end as well, having a DPOY to his name.
He then talked about the Bucks’ moves, adding Turner, eating Dame’s $113M salary to stretch and waive him, Gary Trent, and Kevin Porter Jr. showing flashes of brilliance last year. However, he doesn’t feel they’re above the restructured Hawks.
At this point, Nichols spoke up and said, “Look, they feel like a second-round team, right? That would be an improvement, by the way, because it was what, the past three seasons they’ve been knocked out in the first? Just getting to the playoffs healthy would be an exciting improvement for them.”
The Bucks have been eliminated in the first round for three consecutive seasons, the last two coming at the hands of the Pacers. One of their biggest challenges has been making it to the post-season healthy, which is something Nichols believes is a key thing to take care of this year.
“It’s Giannis, man,” Nichols pointed out. “I would say that, partly depending on the bracket, I think that’s a huge underrated part of predicting playoff things, that we just don’t take into consideration because we can’t, because we don’t know what the bracket’s going to be. But I can see them getting to a conference finals. If they get the right draw, everyone’s healthy.”
Matchups play an important role, especially when a team is trying to ascend to the top of the mountain. Winning a championship isn’t always just skill, but also relies on being lucky, whether it’s the matchups or the health of your team.
At this point, Mannix pointed out how Cole Anthony and Kevin Porter Jr, while they are nice pieces, might not be the right point guards to lead the team to victory. He suggested, “Maybe they smash that Russell Westbrook emergency button.”
Russ is currently an unsigned free agent. His one-two punch with Giannis could be lethal, and he can provide the Bucks with the veteran PG presence that they lack.
Whether the Bucks end up getting Westbrook or not, as long as they have a healthy Giannis, they will always be a force to be reckoned with. Whether they get to the ECF or not, would 100% depend on the fit of the new squad, as well as their health come April.
