Last season, the Milwaukee Bucks made a shocking in-season coaching change, moving on from Adrian Griffin despite an impressive 30-13 record. This led to Doc Rivers filling the Bucks’ coaching vacancy, but Milwaukee would go just 17-19 under his leadership.
Now Rivers gets a chance to put his own fingerprint on this roster, and some NBA insiders are expecting significant changes around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
“There’s starting to be rumblings that Doc Rivers is looking for a change or two to some of their core pieces. Not Dame or Giannis, but potentially looking at another maneuver they could make to alter their team. I think they could be active in the trade market coming up. I think it’s less likely than Philly or New York that they could make this big move, but don’t forget about Milwaukee.”
Brian Windhorst on Milwaukee Bucks’ roster changes
Yahoo’s NBA insider Jake Fischer seemed to agree with Windhorst’s report, and he had a little bit more detail to provide. According to Fischer, Bucks fan favorite Brook Lopez could be on the outs.
“League personnel told Yahoo Sports the Bucks are open to reshaping their roster, and they are gauging the trade value for Brook Lopez. Houston, sources said, cautioned Lopez that re-signing with Milwaukee could very well lead to him eventually being traded when the Rockets pursued Lopez in free agency a year ago.”
Yahoo’s Jake Fischer on Bucks shopping Brook Lopez
Clearing Lopez off the roster would open up $23 million off the books next season. Plus, Lopez is entering the final year of his contract, so if the Bucks could swap him for a piece that fits their long-term core, or even a couple of players, it could go a long way toward reshaping the roster this summer.
Related: Brian Windhorst drops another strong hint about the next major NBA transaction