Rockets celebrity believes that the Bucks need to be disconnected from Antetokounmpo and rebuilt

According to Chaitanya Dadwar, an analyst at US sports media F/W. Milwaukee's future doesn't look bright after the Bucks decided to give up Damian Lillard and sign Miles Turner. They no longer have top defenders with extensive experience in the league like Damian Lillard and Jeru Holiday before.

As a result, many experts and veterans in the league suddenly lost confidence in Rivers' roster. Among them is former NBA champion Vernon Maxwell, who appeared on the All The Smoke podcast along with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson to express his opinion on the Bucks’ situation. Barnes and Jackson also agree with Maxwell that the Bucks look dull at this time of Giannis Antetokounmpo's future.

"Giannis doesn't want to be that," Maxwell said as Barnes criticized the Bucks' move this summer. Barnes said it outspoken when he asked him that it was the time for the Bucks to rebuild and trade Antetokounmpo. "Yes, it's rebuilding (time). They have to cut off the connection with him. Let him go because he doesn't want to be there. You know what I mean? But yes, they're in a rebuilding situation. He's on the Milwaukee side now and it's almost all of them. Especially when your main player doesn't want to play with you anymore, he's already giving you everything he can. I mean, that guy could have left, he's staying there, you know. They said he doesn't like to walk around a lot, so --- but that's a good situation for him, I just think they're rebuilding, man, damn Milwaukee Bucks. I don't know, I don't even want to play there."

At the end of the 2024-25 season with the Bucks, there were rumors that Giannis Antetokounmpo was willing to consider leaving the Bucks. If they want to keep him, they have to give him a team to compete for the championship. The Bucks no longer have a reliable second-scoring option after giving up Lillard. Jackson continued to criticize the Bucks and claimed things started to go downhill when they traded Chris Middleton. Yes, Turner is a defensively big guy who can open up space for the Bucks and arguably the more skilled Brooke Lopez, but his performance is far from making up for their losses on Lillard. He averaged 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks last season, which only replaces what Lopez did for the team.

Damian Lillard averaged 24.9 points, 7.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds last season. Kyle Kuzma joined the team in February after Middleton trade, averaging 14.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists during his time with the Bucks. Even if they increase his offensive usage, his output is far less than what Lillard brings to the team.

They signed a two-year, $10 million contract with point guard Kevin Porter Jr. But even he is not a potential replacement for Lillard’s high-rated rating on their list. If the Bucks want to compete with Giannis Antetokounmpo for the championship, they need to carefully consider their actions in the remaining offseason and strengthen their roster in a targeted manner.