The Milwaukee Bucks’ defense of their 2021 NBA Championship was cut short by the Boston Celtics in the second round of the 2022 NBA Postseason. But, the franchise is left asking what if, as they were in a tough spot playing without Khris Middleton.
Middleton was injured in their first-round series against the Chicago Bulls, leaving them shorthanded against the surging Celtics. Knowing they were among the best teams in the NBA throughout the season, the Bucks decided to run things back.
The roster will be almost identical to what it was last season. The only addition that Milwaukee made was signing veteran Joe Ingles, who is recovering from ACL surgery. There wasn’t a single defection as every free agent that they had heading into the offseason re-signed with the team.
However, that wasn’t for a lack of trying and could change in the coming days. During a recent episode of The Lowe Post Show, an ESPN podcast, Zach Lowe revealed that the Bucks did try making a move earlier this offseason. He also expects the team to be in on Jae Crowder of the Phoenix Suns, who is away from the team awaiting a trade.
“The Bucks will look though I bet,” said Zach Lowe on his podcast about Milwaukee potentially having interest in Crowder. “The Bucks were sneakily kind of sniffing around Jerami Grant in Detroit before Portland swooped in. I think they like the idea of the switchable, switchable, switchable guys.”
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Adding Jerami Grant to the lineup would have made the Bucks championship favorites. They are already a contender as currently constructed but adding another versatile, two-way player to the mix that fills their only real hole on the team would have pushed them a little bit above their peers.
Grant would have given the Bucks a truly dominant core four alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Middleton. Anyone inserted as the fifth alongside them, whether it is a big man such as Bobby Portis or Brook Lopez, or a wing such as Patrick Connaughton or Grayson Allen, would make one of the best lineup combinations in the NBA.
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While Crowder isn’t as impactful as Grant, he would fill a similar need. He can play both forward spots, providing the team with some toughness as a 3-and-D wing. Teams can never have too many 3-and-D players given the positionless basketball that has become prevalent in the NBA.
