Milwaukee Bucks depth chart update: Starting lineup after Damian Lillard trade
The Milwaukee Bucks have won the NBA offseason. The Eastern Conference franchise landed Damian Lillard via trade and will pair the superstar guard with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. Milwaukee will now be considered one of the favorites to win an NBA championship in 2024.
However, adding Lillard came at a cost. The most notable departure from Milwaukee's rotation is the veteran guard Jrue Holiday, who is heading out West to join the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Bucks may have landed Lillard but their overall rotation still leaves much to be desired. There is very little depth behind the starting five, especially in terms of multi-faceted talent that can impact both sides of the floor.
Nevertheless, Milwaukee's top three are some of the best players in the world and will ensure the Bucks are taken seriously throughout the upcoming season. That being said, let's look at Milwaukee's updated depth chart.
Milwaukee's new starting five will be exciting and versatile, with their new big three taking center stage within the rotation. Here is what the starting five could look like:
- Damian Lillard: Guard
- Pat Connaughton: Guard
- Khris Middleton: Forward
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: Forward
- Brook Lopez: Center
The Bucks may also give rookie guard Andre Jackson Jr. plenty of developmental time, as his high-octane defense could help plug the hole left behind by Jrue Holiday. However, that would be a lot of pressure to pile onto the rookie's shoulders so early in his career.
The Milwaukee Bucks are trying to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo happy
Earlier this summer, Giannis Antetokounmpo revealed that his future with the Milwaukee Bucks isn't guaranteed. He noted how he wanted to see the front office prove their commitment to building a contending team around him.
"I would not be the best version of myself if I don't know that everybody's on the same page, everybody's going for a championship, everybody's going to sacrifice time away from their family like I do," Antetokounmpo said in an interview with the New York Times, "And if I don't feel that, I'm not signing."
He continued:
"At the end of the day, I feel like all my teammates know and the organization knows that I want to win a championship. As long as we're on the same page with that and you show me and we go together to win a championship, I'm all for it. The moment I feel like, 'Oh, yeah, we're trying to rebuild' ... there will never be hard feelings with the Milwaukee Bucks."
By adding Lillard, the Milwaukee Bucks front office has made a statement to Antetokounmpo: this trade is the closest you can get to a "we're all in on you" as you can get in the NBA. Whether Antetokounmpo sees the trade as enough to keep him around long-term remains to be seen.