The Milwaukee Bucks paid a lot of money for Myles Turner to be a difference-maker. He was given a four-year contract worth $108.9 million. In addition, the Bucks used the waive-and-stretch provision on Damian Lillard. That means they have a dead cap number of $22.5 million for the next four years.
That added dead money puts a lot of pressure on Turner to be one of their best players. Instead, all of Turner’s stats went down in his first year in Milwaukee. A trade proposal from Bleacher Report would see them fix this issue by adding Jalen Duren as part of their rebuild.
GettyMilwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner blocks a shot in a game. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Bucks Add Jalen Duren in Strong Trade Idea
Here is the full trade proposal:
Detroit Pistons receive: Ryan Rollins, Myles Turner, and 2031 first-round pick (top-five protected)
Milwaukee Bucks receive: Jalen Duren (sign-and-trade)
Swapping Turner for Duren would give the Bucks an All-NBA center to help accelerate their rebuild. Turner has never made an All-NBA team, even when he was in Indiana. After trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks are finally in a state of rebuild.
Trading for Duren could be buying low on a young asset. Duren is still just 22 years old, so he has a lot of room to grow. While Duren had a horrible postseason showing, it was his first time in the playoffs. He will likely only get better over the next few years.
Signing Duren to a big contract would make more sense than still paying Turner the large contract he is owed. Duren is eight years younger than Turner and is a better defender at this stage. The only thing Turner does better is shoot 3s, though Duren could still develop that part of his game.
Having Duren pair with Tyler Herro would be a nice duo to build around for the next few years. The Bucks are in desperate need of superstar-caliber players. Duren has a chance to become a superstar if he can learn how to adapt when teams take away what he is best at.
GettyDetroit Pistons center Jalen Duren drives the ball in a game. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Milwaukee Has to Develop a New Identity
With Antetokounmpo in Miami, the Bucks have to develop a new team identity. They have been built around him and his strengths for so long, and now they have to pivot. Figuring out the best way to get some young assets along with proven players will be tough, though.
Last season, Milwaukee had the seventh-worst offense in the league a year ago. It will be hard for them to improve on that number without Antetokounmpo, although they have more depth. The Bucks will have to try to build a team that is more depth-focused.
Any chance that the team has to move Turner is one that they should jump on. He is the last big contract that they need to get rid of, based on his skill set.
Bucks Fix Their Myles Turner Problem With Bold Trade Proposal