3 Milwaukee Bucks players Orlando Magic could look to add for next season

Having become only the sixth team in NBA history to lose a first-round series as a 1-seed to an 8-seed, you can bet the Milwaukee Bucks are about to go through a period of upheaval this offseason.

The Milwaukee Bucks may have Giannis Antetokounmpo, for now at least, but there are plenty of other players on their roster who may not be there next season, and who a growing group like the Orlando Magic would love to have join their roster.

This is not to mention the connection between the Magic and Bucks front office in the form of general manager John Hammond. There is certainly an admiration and similarity between the two franchises.

With so much young talent and two likely lottery picks about to come their way in the upcoming NBA Draft, the Magic are soon going to hit a point where they look to some veteran players to lead the team on their journey back to the playoffs.

The Milwaukee Bucks are an ideal place to start for the Orlando Magic because they know they did not meet the lofty standards set for themselves, and so will change their roster accordingly.

With the recent news that championship-winning head coach Mike Budenholzer was canned by the Bucks as well, there really is no telling what direction that organization is going to go in. It may be that they go younger, in a bid to retool around the incredible talents that Antetokounmpo possesses.

Magic fans need not fear, as there is absolutely no reason why they should have to give up on a player like Jalen Suggs or Cole Anthony, in order to raid a legitimate contender to make themselves better. There are plenty of suitable candidates, both free agent or available via trade at a low price, to consider.

3 Milwaukee Bucks players Magic could look to add for next season.

3. Brook Lopez

An easy place to start that makes sense for a ton of reasons, center Brook Lopez is a player the Orlando Magic should be enquiring about this summer. Best of all, they do not even need to contact the Bucks to do this, as Lopez is an unrestricted free agent.

At 35 years old, Lopez has won a ring and may be looking for one last, reasonable payday before calling it a career. He was incredibly durable during the regular season, missing all but four games and starting in every contest. The 30.4 minutes per game he averaged were also the most he managed since he was 28, all the back in 2017.

In that time, Lopez has seemingly miraculously turned himself into one of the best defenders in the league. He is a constant paint deterrent, slowing defenses down in drop coverage long enough for Giannis Antetokounmpo to help clean everything up.

It may be that Lopez wants to join an organization that is trying to win it all, and that is understandable. But in signing for the Magic, he could play in a state where there is no income tax, and push Wendell Carter Jr. hard for the starting position.

Even if Lopez does come off the bench, he would be providing Carter with a ton of knowledge and would be keeping him honest in the process. Lopez has to be a cheaper and better option than former Magic great Nikola Vucevic as well, right?

We know Lopez has morphed into an excellent 3-point shooter, and he nailed 37.4 percent of them during the regular season. For context, that would have ranked higher than Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Markelle Fultz and Carter Jr. The Magic’s four best players right now.

With Moe Wagner an unrestricted free agent himself, and Bol Bol having regressed mightily from the player he was early in the campaign, the Magic’s depth at the center position is not as bountiful as it may appear. Goga Bitadze is not a sure thing to return either. Lopez is also an elite defender, meaning there is zero reason not to pick up the phone and check-in.

3 Milwaukee Bucks players Magic could look to add for next season

2. Grayson Allen

Grayson Allen is . . . a divisive player.

There are those who feel he is unnecessarily dirty, as well as being the kind of player who does not step up and make big shots when the lights are brightest.

There is an element of truth to both, and Allen managed only 149 minutes of action in the five-game series loss to the Heat.

Allen is also already 27 despite only being in the league for five years, and the most points he has ever managed in a season is 11.1 per game.

Why then would the Magic have any interest in a player with obvious limitations who was not trusted by his current employers to help swing a series against an eighth seed?

Timing, location and money are all factors, and there is little doubt Allen is currently available for very little from the Bucks. Certain players have to be the fall guys, and it is not going to be Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton or Jrue Holiday who fans insist are shipped out of town.

Rather, it becomes the role players who did not do enough when it mattered most.

Could Allen be acquired for a pair of second-rounders? It is definitely worth exploring.

Depending on your viewpoint, Allen being in the final year of his current contract next year is also favorable in trying to get him. One-year rentals of Allen’s talent aren’t expensive, and $8.5 million is not a lot of money to pay to find out how much he can help.

If he is a hit, he could be brought back on Terrence Ross-type money in the future to keep him around. If he does not work out at all, the Magic would only be down a pair of second-round picks.

Glutinous as it may seem, the organization has all of their own first-round picks right now, and so spending two second-rounders on Allen would not be seen as terrible business.

If Allen pops, the Magic would be getting a player who has proven in the past that he can shoot 40 percent from deep over the course of a season. An area of real concern for the Magic. He would also bring an edge to a team that is learning how to win, and the experience of being around Antetokounmpo and co.

At the price he is likely going for now, you have to enquire about that.

3 Milwaukee Bucks players Magic could look to add for next season

1. Bobby Portis

Could Bobby Portis be this generation’s Horace Grant for the Orlando Magic?

We might need to pump the breaks on that particular comparison, but there is no doubt Portis would help defensively and engage a Magic crowd that continues to fall more in love with this version of the team.

It gets trickier because Bucks fans rightly adore Portis for all of the same reasons, and would not want to see him go.

Like Draymond Green and Marcus Smart, Bobby Portis is the emotional heartbeat of his team, and it may be that he is more valuable to the Bucks than he would be anywhere else in the league.

As we have already mentioned though, there are going to be fall guys for what happened during the playoffs on this Bucks roster. Fans love Portis, but if the front office was able to free up the cash or turn him into a different player or two, they would consider it.

Every player not named Giannis Antetokunmpo should be on the table, and if that means Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday are, then Bobby Portis surely is too.

Portis generally comes off the bench already, and he would relish being the sixth-man enforcer for a young group. He could show them how to see out close games, and perhaps even take Wagner under his wing in showing him some of the dark arts in how to operate in and around the paint.

Portis is still under contract for three more years, with the third being a player option and the figure never rising about $14 million per season. This means it would cost the Magic something of actual value to get Portis, but the asking price is likely to be a valuation they are well capable of handling.

A future first-round pick? Perhaps that is too rich for the Magic.

What about Chuma Okeke and a pair of second-rounders? The Magic could easily absorb that extra cash into their cap room. Although the Bucks surely want some more value to remain in title contention.

Are fans ready to have the conversation where Jonathan Isaac heads to the Bucks in a deal? Bol Bol might intrigue. Portis is a win-now player, but there may never be a better time to add a guy like him than right now, when the Bucks are reeling.