NBA Rumors: Bucks Could Acquire Chris Paul But Investment Not Risk-Free

The Milwaukee Bucks fell short of expectations, failing to advance to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals courtesy of the Miami Heat. But the worse part of it is that they lost 1-4, a series that surprised many with the vast manpower Mike Budenholzer had at his disposal.

When the series was done, the blame game started. And as expected, Giannis Antetokounmpo was the first on the list. Though some were awed by his regular-season performance, the Greek Freak’s efficiency just fell short. Some criticized his lack of an outside game while others felt the Bucks needed more help from other players.

Arguing about the fortunes of the Bucks will do nothing to change Milwaukee’s plight this season. It is back to the drawing board for the club.

According to The Atheltic, Budenholzer will remain with the team though Antetokounmpo appeared annoyed during the post-game interview of their final game of the 2019-20 NBA season. The 15th overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft seemed annoyed with the rotation with Budenholzer refusing to play him and Khris Middleton during key stretches.

But the best thing to do now is looking ahead. The Bucks need help and one name that has been suggested is Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder. But at 35, questions arise on whether he would be a worthy investment.

Paul is owed $86 million over the next two seasons and the Thunder are likely to look for takers. Though OKC fared well this season despite big deals, the reality is that the Thunder need to rebuild. If Paul stays, it would limit the Bucks flexibility in terms of dealing with other NBA teams per SI.com.

The Bucks could also deal away some players on their end. Eric Bledsoe, George Hill and Ersan Ilyasova could be offered to meet the salary CP3 carries. And if ever the deal does go down, Sam Presti could opt to keep or deal these players away to get his actual targets.

Paul is coming off a good season, probably the best in a long while. However, the short-term investment and play out the last two years of his current deal. A CP3-Greek Freak combo could be something with the Bucks getting a playmaker that can potentially control the team and hopefully reach that NBA title dream.