At the time of writing this, the Milwaukee Bucks sit fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 20-17 record and 5-5 in their last five games, after a loss to the New York Knicks due to great production from all-star point guard Jalen Brunson scoring 44 points and backup point guard Cameron Payne who in 14 minutes was able to score 18 points. Milwaukee’s perimeter defense is a problem, but it’s not their only problem. The bench. The bench sits middle of the pack in the NBA when it comes to average points and shooting percentages but when you watch the games you can see there are glaring holes. Khris Middleton has recently been playing off the bench due to a Doc Rivers decision which I think is great for the bench. It will generate more offensive production and hopefully get the defense figured out when Giannis Antetokounmpo or Andre Jackson Jr. isn’t on the court.

There are not a lot of options for the Bucks since they’re above the second apron causing many restrictions on the moves they are allowed to make. Not only that but the team doesn’t have any assets that are appealing to the selling teams. There’s no reason for the Nets to give us Cameron Johnson for a 2031 pick bundled with Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton unless they view that pick as extremely valuable. Thankfully that pick is going to be worth a pretty penny, Giannis is likely to be out of his prime, Dame will be gone by then, and unless we hit on another Diamond in the rough similar to the Antetokounmpo draft pick then it won’t be looking good.

I mentioned forward Cameron Johnson just a bit ago and I wanted to talk about him more. He seems like the perfect fit for this team, if Milwaukee can acquire Johnson via trade, as unlikely as it is, would be huge for the entire roster and system the Milwaukee Bucks like to run. His addition allows Jackson Jr. to focus on helping the bench get things together since Johnson would probably be taking his starting spot. Johnson is somewhat affordable and under contract for another two seasons, this move has the potential to extend our short window of contending. He’s a great forward to coincide with Giannis due to his efficiency from beyond the arch and also his ability to defend on the perimeter.