Milwaukee Bucks: Complete 2018 offseason grades

The Milwaukee Bucks added a new head coach and a new type of big man to their roster. How should the organization be graded for their 2018 NBA offseason?

The Milwaukee Bucks entered the 2018 NBA offseason with a number of looming questions. Who would replace Jason Kidd as head coach? Would Jabari Parker be on the roster next season? Could the Bucks upgrade the roster with limited cap flexibility?

Milwaukee putt its full attention to tackling the first question, leading a wide-ranging search that included at-the-time San Antonio Spurs vice president Monty Williams (currently an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers) and Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon. They eventually landed on Mike Budenholzer, former Atlanta Hawks head man and a one-time Spurs assistant himself.

Budenholzer did not waste time making his impact, as the team signed a pair of frontcourt players in Brook Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova that are perfect fits for Bud’s offensive philosophy — Ilyasova had in fact played for Budenholzer in Atlanta. Former Portland Trail Blazers wing Pat Connaughton fits the description of a “Hawks University” — rebranded now with antlers — pupil, ready to grow into a strong contributor under Budenholzer’s tutelage.

Add in an exciting first round draft selection and the Bucks did a fair job of adding new blood to the roster. To accomplish this, they cut ties with a few end-of-roster players, but also had to see former second pick Jabari Parker leave for Chicago. For all of his injuries and defensive foibles, Parker raised the ceiling of this team just based on his talent level.

How should their offseason be evaluated with a few weeks of hindsight? Let’s break down the major moves in turn before wrapping up the summer with a bow.