The Milwaukee Bucks are gearing up for the NBA draft on June 23 and there’s a lot at stake as they hold the No. 10 pick.
Will the Bucks find a star in the first round? What happens if the Bucks trade Giannis Antetokounmpo before or during the draft?
Bucks beat writer Jim Owczarski answers questions from readers in a mailbag this week.
What positions should the Bucks be targeting assuming they get at least two first round picks in this draft?
Owczarski: I would not assume anything, even if they trade Giannis Antetokounmpo. But to the question, it would make sense for the Bucks to add a second first-round pick in this draft in any trade for Antetokounmpo. And while this isn’t the sexiest answer, the best route the Bucks can take is to truly draft the best player, or players, available regardless of position.
This is a 32-win team and, outside of their two-time MVP, have no all-star level players. They are in desperate need of high-end talent, regardless of position. So they should have no concerns about drafting either a guard, forward or center.
If Darius Acuff Jr. falls to No. 10 would he be the clear pick for the Bucks?
Owczarski: I think so, largely because he’s considered in the mix for going between Nos. 5-7 and might have been a lower selection if not for a loaded top end of this draft class. Bucks general manager Jon Horst likes smaller guards with some scoring pop, and Acuff is exactly that. He measured 6 feet 2 inches at the NBA scouting combine and averaged 23.5 points per game as a freshman at Arkansas. He also shot 44% from behind the 3-point line. He fits the mold of a “high end” talent pick, even if he has some severe defensive questions at the NBA level.
With Jon Horst’s history of poor draft picks do you really want him still making picks?
Owczarski: The track record of draft picks under Horst since he took over in 2017 is not great. Of the picks he made and kept, Donte DiVincenzo (No. 17, 2018) remains the best and even he did not get a second contract with the club. Sandro Mamukelashvili is probably the second-best pick the Bucks have made (No. 54, 2021 via Indiana) and he was gone after just 65 games in Milwaukee.
Andre Jackson Jr. (No. 36, 2023 via Orlando) has played three years off the bench for the Bucks and the team holds an option on him for 2026-27.
D.J. Wilson (No. 17, 2017), Jordan Nwora (No. 45, 2020), MarJon Beauchamp (No. 24, 2022), Chris Livingston (No. 58, 2023), AJ Johnson (No. 23, 2024) and Tyler Smith (No. 33, 2024) are either out of the league already or barely hanging on.
Now, this is the first lottery pick the Bucks have made in Horst’s tenure, and at No. 10 and there is a smaller pool of players he’s having to pick from. Perhaps there won’t be a need to take a “big swing” because there is more higher-floor talent available.
Regardless of process, the Bucks do have to get this pick (or picks) right.
I hear differing reports that Giannis is happy in Milwaukee but also that he has requested a trade? Which do you think is more likely and if he is traded when to predict the trade to happen?
Owczarski: Giannis is happy in Milwaukee. I believe him when he has said, many times, he wishes he could end his career with the Bucks. The issue for him is that the Bucks are about to enter the second year of a two- to three-year reset of the roster and asset cache, and honestly the team has gotten worse in terms of playoff finishes every year from 2022-26. They were not ready to win a championship last season, and even if he returns they will not be ready to win one in 2026-27.
And, at 31 years old (32 in December) he is impatient.
He believes he cannot wait any longer to once again contend for that elusive second championship while in his prime years. Has he explicitly asked for a trade? Probably not. But there are ways to indicate you’re ready to be traded without doing that.
The media keeps indicating that the Miami Heat are leading contenders to acquire Giannis, but the trade packages mentioned don’t seem that enticing. What’s your take?
Owczarski: Miami has been pretty transparent about what it’s offering because it’s obvious: Tyler Herro (for salary reasons) and a handful of players and picks. It’s a lot of “stuff.” On the ledger, if Giannis is on one side and maybe 10 players and picks are on the other, it “looks” good for the Bucks.
But is it what they want? If it were, it would be done already, right? The deal with Miami may yet be a trade the Bucks make, but clearly they are still either trying to extract more from the Heat or a different team (or three).
How can the Bucks keep Giannis and find a way to have playoff success? Who could they trade for to accomplish this? Who should they draft if they keep Giannis?
Owczarski: Horst insisted there is a second path this offseason, which is keeping Antetokounmpo, rebuilding around him and offering a maximum extension in October. Should the Bucks actually pursue this path, playoff success in 2026-27 includes not only Antetokounmpo being healthy (although that’s not enough, as the team has seen in 2022 and 2025) but the team making a couple of significant roster moves.
That would require them trading one or more of their high-priced role players (Myles Turner, Kyle Kuzma, Bobby Portis Jr. or AJ Green) and future draft capital to land a proven all-star talent. The issue then becomes finding role players to replace the ones just traded away. It’s not impossible, but it would require creativity on Horst’s part and once again leverage the future for the present.
How long can the Bucks afford to not plan for a Giannis-less future by not finding draft capital?
Owczarski: I think this is overblown in terms of using future draft capital. The team has draft picks, they’re just not “controllable” in that some of them are swaps with Portland. They have their first-round picks from 2031-33. One could argue this team has not drafted well at all this century, spanning four general managers. Could that change beginning this year and into the future? Sure. But as it stands, moving older players for younger players might be the better route to return to relevancy than hoping to draft well.
Now, I will say, stockpiling future draft picks to trade them for the next star would be a good use of them.
Any update on Bogoljub Marković?
Owczarski: To remind people, Marković was the team’s lone draft pick last year, selected in the second round out of Serbia. He was 19 at the time and stayed overseas to play for Mega Basket of the Serbian League. Marković had a great season in 2025-26, earning MVP honors after leading the league with 9.1 rebounds per game while averaging 18.2 points and 2.5 assists. He also won the league’s “Top Prospect” award for the second straight season. He is still a poor 3-point shooter (37% on 81 attempts in 2024-25 and 31.8% on just 44 attempts last season), but some of my European colleagues said he was a much better player this year than last. The Bucks, so far, have been non-committal about bringing him to the team this season, however.
Should we be concerned about Jimmy Haslam taking a very “hands on” approach with the Bucks? The Cleveland Browns have been horribly run for years.
Owczarski: This has been a question I’ve gotten since the Haslam Sports Group (HSG) bought out Marc Lasry at the end of the 2022-23 season. It’s hard to say, to be honest.
The Browns have not been very successful but their soccer team in Columbus has won two MLS championships. Unlike those other teams, however, Haslam does not have unilateral control of the Bucks.
Currently, Wes Edens remains the governor of the team, which means he technically can make any decision he wants independent of the Haslams or any other owner. So far, we have been told that Edens and Jimmy Haslam have a good relationship and Edens would not use such power and divide the ownership group.
Once Haslam does take control of the governorship in a couple of seasons, it’s to be determined how he would wield that influence. If Edens is still a majority co-owner, will Haslam seek a consensus on moves? We won’t know until we get there.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Trade or no trade, Giannis’ situation affects Bucks’ draft | Mailbag
Reporting by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
