I Become the GM of the Milwaukee Bucks- Part 2 (3/8/21)

Welcome to part two of my tenure as the GM of the Milwaukee Bucks. This will be the first of my GM articles where I don’t explain exactly what I’m doing. Why? Because you should have read part one already. I will give a light refresher though.

After going 59-24, the Bucks lost in the second round to the Brooklyn Nets. The Grizzlies won the (somehow) won the ‘chip. Giannis picked up a couple accolades. Budenholzer won coach of the year. I drafted Marcus Bagley, and signed some players. We’re about to begin the 2021-22 season. This is the current roster:

PG: Jrue Holiday, Kris Dunn, Jaylen Adams, Jordan Bone

SG: Donte Divincenzo, Pat Connaughton, Sam Merrill, Paul Watson

SF: Khris Middleton, Jae Crowder, Jordan Nwora

PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jarred Vanderbilt, Marcus Bagley

C: Richuan Holmes, Bobby Portis Jr, Ian Mahinmi

I like it, but I will definitely make changes if needed.

Beginning of 2021-22 Season

Here’s the rotation I’m going with to start the year:

Starters: Jrue Holiday, Donte DiVincenzo, Khris Middleton, Giannis, Richuan Holmes

Bench: Jae Crowder, Bobby Portis, Kris Dunn, Jarred Vanderbilt, Pat Connaughton, Sam Merrill

December 12th

Two games in, Kris Dunn severely sprained his ankle. He’ll be out for 6-8 weeks. That sucks, because 2K doesn’t let you trade injured players, and he was gonna be one of the first to go if the team sucked. Jaylen Adams will suck up his minutes.

Rest of December

We’re 8-2 at the end of December. Our power rank is 6th. That’s pretty good. However, I have some very sad news.

Waiving: Jaylen Adams

Jaylen was the poster boy of part one. Now, he’s getting cut. Why? He took over the backup point guard spot when Dunn went out, and he’s shooting 25% from the field and 17% from three. That’s atrocious. I can’t believe it.

Signing: Quinn Cook

One year minimum deal. QC has won a few championships before, and hopefully he’ll be here for another one. I needed a replacement one. I’m gonna give minutes to Jordan Bone for a while, so QC won’t play as of now.

Mid January

What the heck.

Waiving: Ian Mahinmi

36% from the field as a center. That’s all I have to say.

Signing: Jordan Bone

This isn’t technically a signing, because Bone was already on the team, but I’m converting his deal from a two-way contract to a full deal.

Signing: Juwan Morgan

Juwan is getting signed on a two-way deal. He’s a young stretch four. He might play some this year. He might not.

January

We are now 18-8. That’s 3rd in the East, and good for 10 in the power rankings. I want to be a little better, but I probably won’t make changes until the trade deadline.

Here’s the rotation I’m using at the moment:

Starters: Jrue Holiday, Donte DiVincenzo, Khris Middleton, Giannis, Richuan Holmes

Bench: Jae Crowder, Bobby Portis, Jarred Vanderbilt, Pat Connaughton, Jordan Bone, Marcus Bagley

Contract Extension Deadline

Jrue Holiday is getting a 2-year, $15 million extension. He deserves it. His play has regressed this season from last year, though, so he might not be on the team for that whole time.

Trade #1: Dunn to Golden State

Warriors get: Kris Dunn, 2023 2nd Round Pick, 2024 2nd Round Pick

Bucks get: Terrence Shannon Jr.

Kris Dunn hasn’t been good since his return from injury. He will probably turn it around, but I don’t have time to wait for that. I’m trading him to a team that needed some point guard depth, the Warriors, for a late 2021 first round pick in Terrence Shannon. The Warriors don’t need a project like him, but I’ll take him on. He’s only played one minute in one game for the Warriors so far, and that’s a waste.

Here’s the rotation I’m going with until the trade deadline:

Starters: Jrue, Donte, Khris, Giannis, Richuan

Bench: Jae, Bobby, Jarred, Pat, Terrence Shannon, Juwan Morgan

Trade Deadline

We are currently 38-15. That’s 1st in the conference, and we’re power ranked number two. That’s awesome.

Trade #2: Sam to Denver

Nuggets get: Sam Merrill

Bucks get: Isaiah Hartenstein

Sorry, Sam. Since I picked up TSJ, I don’t need you anymore. I appreciate your time in Milwaukee. I need another center, and Denver could use a backup two guard. Bye-bye, Sam.

I’m probably not making any other trades, we’re too good.

All-Star Break

Giannis and Middleton were All-Stars again. Middleton is shooting 50/40/90. We haven’t suffered a significant injury to our top guys. Life is great.

Here is the rotation I’m running for the rest of the year:

Starters: Same as all year

Bench: Jae, Bobby, Jarred, Pat, TSJ, Jordan Bone

Second Half of the Season/NBA Awards

We finished with a 56-26 record, which is the one seed in the East (Philly is the eight seed, which is scary.)

Wait, hold on. Look at this trade:

Clippers get: Tobias Harris, 2026 1st Round Pick

76ers get: Paul George

What the heck!!! How did this trade even happen!!! If I lose in the first round because 2K let this crap happen, I will be beyond mad. Oh my goodness. This game is awful sometimes.

Anyways, Giannis made All-NBA 1st and All-Defensive 1st. Nobody else won anything. Here’s the team’s final stats:

G. Antetokounmpo: 24 PPG/13 RPG/5 APG, 1 SPG/1 BPG

K. Middleton: 22/4/5, 50/40/90 shooting

J. Holiday: 14/3/5 (Kinda disappointing, but whatever. We were good.)

D. DiVincenzo: 13/4/3

B. Portis Jr: 10/5/1

J. Nwora: 9/1/1 (He only played in eight games this year)

R. Holmes: 8/7/1, 1 BPG (I love it Richuan!)

J. Vanderbilt: 8/4/1, 1 SPG

J. Crowder: 8/4/1

M. Bagley: 5/1/1

Q. Cook: 4/1/1

T. Shannon Jr: 4/1/1

J. Bone: 4/1/1

P. Connaughton: 4/2/2

J. Morgan: 3/1/1

P. Watson: 2/1/1

I. Hartenstein: 2/2/1

All in all, everybody did well. The team is great, and the stats are great. Time for the playoffs.

2022 Playoffs

We beat the stupid 76ers 4-1 in the first round. Then we beat the Hawks in 6 games in the second round. Then we lost to the Nets 4-2 in the Conference Finals. Shoot. The Nets are unstoppable in 2K. I am decently happy with the team’s performance, however.

2022 Offseason

I don’t have any draft picks this year. That’s all good.

Team/Player Options

Pat Connaughton picked up his player option, which is good.

Resigning: Donte DiVincenzo

Donte will probably be the 3rd best player on the team next season. He’s really good. I’m bringing him back on a 4-year, $40 million deal.

Resigning: Jordan Bone

I figured I might as well bring him back, considering it’s just a 1-year, $2 million deal.

Signing: Austin Rivers

Austin Rivers is a great scorer, as well as a solid defender and playmaker. He will bring versatile play as a backup one. Getting him on a 1-year, $1.7 million deal is great value.

Signing: Dorian Finney-Smith

Dorian is a combo forward who can stretch the floor, rebound, and play defense. If I decide to trade Jae Crowder in the near future, Dorian will be great to have around. I signed him on a 2-year, $3.5 million deal.

Signing: Boban Marjanovic

With my final roster spot, I’m signing the GOAT. Boban is great for team chemistry, and I’m glad to have him on the squad.

Training Camp

TSJ is going to untapped potential camp, increasing (quite obviously) his potential. Jarred Vanderbilt is going to perimeter shooting camp.

Beginning of 2022-23 Season

So, this is it. I probably won’t make part three to this (but we’ll see). Here’s the final roster:

PG: Jrue Holiday, Austin Rivers, Jordan Bone

SG: Donte DiVincenzo, Pat Connaughton, Terrence Shannon Jr.

SF: Khris Middleton, Jae Crowder, Dorian Finney-Smith

PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jarred Vanderbilt, Marcus Bagley

C: Richuan Holmes, Bobby Portis Jr, Boban Marjanovic

I think this is the best roster I’ve had yet as GM of the Bucks. Kevin Durant didn’t resign with Brooklyn, so I have a great shot at the ‘chip.

Thanks for reading!