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6 hours ago
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Heading into this offseason, the Milwaukee Bucks have been one of the most discussed teams in the NBA. Following another early exit from the postseason, many have speculated on whether Giannis Antetokounmpo should eye a change of scenery in hopes of contending for a title.
Last month, reports emerged that Giannis had an "open-mindedness" to playing somewhere other than Milwaukee. However, the former MVP has not formally requested a trade.
As the chatter around the superstar forward continues, the staff at ESPN put together a series of mock trades for the Bucks this offseason. Some included Giannis, while others focused on bolstering the cast of talent around him. One scenario involved the Bucks acquiring sharpshooting forward Cameron Johnson from the Brooklyn Nets.
The trade:
Bucks receive - Cameron Johnson
Nets receive - Kyle Kuzma, 2031 first-round pick, 2032 first-round pick swap
Given the Bucks' extremely limited resources, who is the best current player they could conceivably add to support Giannis in a win-now posture? Johnson has never been an All-Star, but he has made immense strides in Brooklyn. Always a tremendous shooter (39% career on 3-pointers), he has become an accomplished multilevel scorer who could try to fill the Middleton-shaped hole on Milwaukee's perimeter.
Johnson isn't a blockbuster name but is someone who could thrive on the Bucks. Since joining the Nets, he's shown he can be productive in an expanded role. This season, Johnson averaged 18.8 PPG and 3.4 APG while shooting 39% from beyond the arc.
On the Bucks, Johnson could provide secondary scoring next to Giannis and Damian Lillard when he returns from injury. More importantly, he is a reliable kick-out option for the star forward when defenses try to collapse on him.
With Johnson being a hot commodity around the league, getting him at this price might be tough. That said, if the Nets were willing to take this offer, it should be a near no-brainer for the Bucks.
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