‘Thundercloud on horizon’ coming for Bucks?

‘Thundercloud on horizon’ coming for Bucks?

Are the Milwaukee Bucks in serious trouble? Senior NBA insider Brian Windhorst seems to think that it’s possible.

After winning the NBA Finals in 2021, the Bucks have had a strange two-season stretch, including co-owner Marc Lasry selling his 25 percent stake in the team to Haslam Sports Group for $3.2 billion.

The move, which was made in mid-April of this year, was a surprising one considering two factors: the team’s recent success and the timing.

Not only did the Bucks win the Finals just two seasons before, but they also made the conference semifinals in the subsequent season — not to mention that they have an MVP in the middle of his prime in Giannis Antetokounmpo. The timing of the sale was also odd, with Lasry opting to sell in the middle of the season, almost as if he was running from something.

No more than a month later, Milwaukee dismissed head coach Mike Budenholzer, who was fired after the Bucks fell to the Miami Heat in the first round in a massive upset. Budenholzer had the highest winning percentage of any Bucks coach in history, but apparently, the front office had seen enough.

Why Is Everyone Leaving?

So, what gives? Why would the Bucks pull the trigger on firing Budenholzer now? Why would Lasry sell the team given the timing?

“Because of the thundercloud that is on the horizon, we are now hearing the first rumblings,” Windhorst said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Friday.

“[Larsy] also sold because he knew that there were problems coming. It wasn’t because of anything the Bucks did, or any mistake. When a team like this competes in a mid-market for five or six years, there becomes pressure.”

Windhorst went on to explain the team’s outlook. Antetokoumnpo, the best player and heart and soul of the team, has two years left on his contract, with an option in the 2025-26 season. Another key member of the 2021 championship team, Khris Middleton, is approaching his 32nd birthday, and his player option this offseason presents a decision for the Bucks on whether to retain the three-time All-Star.

Additionally, Brook Lopez, a crucial component of Milwaukee’s roster for the past five years, is an unrestricted free agent at the age of 35. The team must also evaluate the value of retaining other core members such as Jrue Holiday.

Why Force Your Own Hand?

All of this brings me back to the initial question: Why did Milwaukee even fire Budenholzer anyway? He was a perfectly capable coach who had one bad series after his team was a one-seed. The only thing the Bucks really did here was force their own hand. Firing Budenholzer is a shortsighted, stupid mistake.

Windhorst went on to allude to the repeater tax, which is a part of the NBA’s new CBA. This tax penalizes teams that spent a lot of free agency money, like the Bucks have recently.

C.J. McCollum, the president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), was a guest on the show. While considering everything that Windhorst was saying, McCollum asked one simple question:

“Where is Giannis going?”

Of course, Windhorst didn’t have an answer for the New Orleans shooting guard. He sort of brushed it aside, telling McCollum that he wouldn’t sign on as the Bucks’ new head coach unless he knew that the two-time MVP would stay in Milwaukee.

Giannis Is The Key

This is good reporting by Windhorst, but he is just explaining the current state of affairs. No one even batted an eyelash when Lasry sold, but the firing of Budenholzer makes NBA fans and analysts explore what is really going on here.

The Bucks are in deeper s*** than maybe anyone thought. They have key decisions to make about the construction of their roster and coaching staff. We see it all the time when mid-market franchises when they win championships. Does ownership actually care enough to continue to build on what they have, or is it time to destroy everything in the name of complacency and cost-cutting? Maybe Lasry didn’t want to be a part of the destruction of the Bucks. He sold off his portion of the team and got a massive payday, because maybe he saw the impending storm.

The ball is in Milwaukee’s court as far as a Giannis deal. You can bring in the Brinks truck for Antetokounmpo. If you do that, I’m sure he wants to stay with the Bucks. Let’s say you re-sign him, a new coach will be enticed to come to town, along with free agents to help your team. If you fail to get a deal done with him this offseason, you may not field the best coach possible.

Without Antetokounmpo’s presence, things look completely different for basketball in Milwaukee. I feel like there is a factor that we, the general public, are not aware of, especially when it comes to Budenholzer’s firing. It’ll be interesting to see how things develop for the Bucks this offseason and beyond. Who they hire to coach the team will be indicative of the direction of the franchise.

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