The Bucks may finally have a real path to landing a young center who can change the direction of the franchise. If Milwaukee gets Jalen Duren in a sign-and-trade, even if Myles Turner has to go the other way, it would look a lot more like a worthwhile payoff for waiving and stretching Damian Lillard’s contract.
Lillard is still set to count for more than $20 million in each of the next four seasons, but that burden becomes a lot easier to live with if the Bucks come out of it with an ascending All-Star caliber big man. So far, the flexibility created by moving off Lillard has gone toward Turner, and that experiment has not delivered much.
Turner is what he is at this stage: a solid supporting piece. His old appeal as a 3-and-D center has been diluted by how many big men around the league can now offer the same thing, and he has not expanded his game enough to suggest he can be more than a role player. He does not look like someone who can grow into a lead option.
Duren is a different kind of bet. He is still climbing, and he was in the Most Improved Player mix last season.
At 22, he put up 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds a night for a 60-win Pistons team. That production, along with Detroit’s defense, earned him All-Star and All-NBA recognition for the first time.
For a Bucks team fully moving into a rebuild, the fit is obvious. A younger center with that kind of upward trajectory makes more sense than settling for a known quantity like Turner. Even if Duren’s arrival would create some immediate chemistry questions this late in the offseason, Milwaukee would still have every reason to welcome him as a long-term piece.
The contract side of the equation also works in Milwaukee’s favor. Duren still has not been re-signed by the Pistons because he wants more than Detroit has been willing to pay, and the standoff has stretched through the summer. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Hunter Patterson, Duren even turned down a five-year, $200 million offer from Detroit.
That makes sense from the Pistons’ perspective, since they are trying to build a championship contender and have to be careful with every dollar. But the Bucks are in a different place. They can afford to take a swing on a player with this kind of upside, even with Lillard’s dead money still on the books.
Duren would likely cost more than Turner going forward, but Milwaukee still has room under the first apron and would at least be paying for real star potential. If the Bucks can sign him for around $40 million per season, that would be a much better use of their remaining flexibility than continuing to pay Turner.
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Bucks Risk Another Costly Summer Mistake With Jalen Duren
Jalen Durens decision to turn down a five-year, $200 million extension from Detroit has already put a big-money center back on the market, and Milwaukee has the kind of financial muscle that would let it jump into the conversation. For a Bucks team always looking to keep its title window open, a player with Durens age and physical tools will naturally draw interest, especially if the front office believes there is room to shape him into a long-term frontcourt piece.
But the Bucks would not be weighing this one in a vacuum. Their books already carry significant commitments, and a deal at that level would add another major layer of risk to a roster that has to balance present urgency with future flexibility. Durens playoff performance is part of the evaluation, too, which is where the hesitation begins to creep in for Milwaukee, because the price of chasing upside this summer could end up being another expensive mistake. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Rookies Face A Crowded Camp Battle In The Post Giannis Era
The Bucks enter camp with a very different look after moving on from Giannis Antetokounmpo and reshaping the roster with a wave of incoming players and future draft capital. Among the names to watch are rookies Brayden Burries and Nate Ament, both of whom land in a situation where opportunity will have to be earned the hard way. Milwaukees veteran-heavy depth chart should make every practice rep matter, and it gives the front office a chance to see how the newcomers fit into a roster that is still taking shape.
For Burries, the early path could be especially crowded, with a real chance he begins the season outside the main rotation if the established pieces hold up. Aments route looks different, with development time likely coming in the G-League as the Bucks balance long-term growth against immediate expectations. It is the sort of training camp battle that comes with a rebuild in transition: less about easy openings, more about proving who can handle the next version of Milwaukee basketball. [Read more 🡒]