There is no denying that Milwaukee is doing great with an All-Star like Giannis Antetokounmpo doing most of the heavy lifting. The Bucks are winning games on a row in the regular season, but there seems to be a gaping hole that pundits refuse to believe the team is a strong title contender.
The missing pieces of the puzzle boil down to two things - the Bucks lack big basketball names, and that might be true as the Greek Freak remains the certified star of the club, and is sorely low on veteran blood, according to Fadeaway World.
To solve this, the Bucks front office needs to explore the trading market, or better yet specifically target Chris Paul. In exchange, they can offer Eric Bledsoe to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In a report, Forbes said Paul is able to deliver the present requirements of Milwaukee and he just might be the complementing element that Antetokounmpo is.
"On the court, the fit would be pretty good. Despite his advanced age, Paul would stabilize the point guard position," the report said.
Forbes also illustrated how exactly the veteran will be of service to Milwaukee: "Paul loves to have the ball in his hands, but he showed in Houston he can play second fiddle when necessary. His outside shooting and defense are on par with what the Bucks want."
It seemed easy to see that Paul is a bump up from Bledsoe, and in the end, the Buck will likely operate like a well-oiled machine with CP3 orchestrating how things should work out on the floor.
It is a wonder, however, if OKC will be willing to give up a player with the caliber that Paul has.
It could be if the object is to free up a salary cap space, and Paul heading out will indeed create a big room for the Thunder. Paul still has two years remaining on his deal with OKC, and his pay will total to $80 million.
If OKC sends Paul over to the Bucks, this cap space can be best used to build up a younger Thunder team that will only get stronger in the upcoming NBA seasons.
Of course, on the part of Milwaukee, there is a downside in going for Paul. The team will most certainly need to think hard on the accompanying financial strain, as suggested by the figures mentioned above.
"Ownership would also have to be okay with going into the luxury tax," Forbes warned.
Then there is the age factor that screams of the likelihood there is not much left of the old Paul, and time might be running out on him, and fast. Yet to consider the stats Paul has registered so far in the season - he is averaging 15.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.7 steals - it seems possible that a team he plays for could win an NBA title before Paul opts for retirement.
