Return to contention would be lengthy process for the Milwaukee Bucks

Teams around the league have laid a blueprint for how to return to the promised land after trading a star player, but one ingredient is paramount: getting/having the guy to replace them. The Milwaukee Bucks are at the end of the road with Giannis Antetokounmpo, which means the start of a years long process to return to relevancy.

Three of the teams that handled retooling the best are the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder, which are deadlocked in the Western Conference Finals (2-2), plus the Indiana Pacers.

Notably, the Spurs traded Kawhi Leonard to Toronto, made the playoffs that season with DeMar DeRozan as his replacement, but lost in seven games to the Denver Nuggets. They were out of the playoffs for six straight years until now, playing the long game so they’d have the infrastructure to make multiple deep runs. Part of the reason it took so long is the right player(s) had to come around in the draft, and their last three picks have been the most impactful.

The Thunder took half as long, taking on bad deals for assets and keying in on development, yet they didn’t have to draft their big-time star (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) because they got him in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers for Paul George. Still, they’ve capitalized through the draft; don’t forget that Jalen Williams was LAC’s pick in that deal as well, and the Thunder held on to it for three years before taking him 12th in 2022.

The Pacers went in another direction after getting swept by the Miami Heat in the Orlando bubble, and they lasted three years without seeing the playoffs as they accumulated assets.

Those assets got them in position to bring in Tyrese Haliburton from Sacramento, which time has later revealed to be an all-time heist, and make the trade for Pascal Siakam, a proven champion. An Eastern Conference Finals and Finals trip followed in consecutive years, and they should be back in the mix next season when Haliburton recovers from his torn Achilles tendon.

Milwaukee Bucks management — May 6, 2026; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst (left) and co-owner Jimmy Haslam (right) introduce new head coach Taylor Jenkins (center) at a press conference at Milwaukee Art Museum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

In the Bucks’ case, they’ve been here before when they traded Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975, and they have to do better this time. One could easily argue he’s the greatest player of all-time, and they got back an OK deal of Dave Meyers, Elmore Smith and Junior Bridgeman, who had his jersey retired in Milwaukee.

These were good players, not great ones, yet the team didn’t get serious until the 1980s. The biggest reason for that is that the Bucks traded Swen Nater in 1977 to Buffalo, for the first round pick that would turn into Marques Johnson three days later, and drafting Sidney Moncrief in 1979.

The ‘80s Bucks were darn good, making three conference finals, and still weren’t on the level of the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics. Perhaps things would have been different if they had the package for Kareem sweetened with a first-round draft pick but don’t forget that no picks were included both times Wilt Chamberlain was traded, too.

For the rebuild to work, it’s ideal to get back quality players, especially one (at least) with the potential to be a real difference maker because no one has a perfect field goal percentage in the draft, and they’ll need at least three unprotected first-rounders. The most realistic path to getting everything needed will be through a trade involving more than two teams.

Milwaukee execs could waste the next decade if trading Antetokounmpo is fumbled, which can include appeasing him. If he wants to get to the place that offers the best deal, then fantastic, but if ownership is OK with less, then they’re not serious about winning.

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