Milwaukee Bucks

Early on this season, Julius Randle has single-handedly given the New York Knicks hope this season and while R.J. Barrett is the future of their organization, Randle is the now and is earning every bit of his $18.9M contract this season. He is tied for fourth in the league for double-doubles and is on his way to making his first All-Star appearance of his career. 

Randle looks like a completely different player than he has early in his career and is definitely the type of player the Bucks need to match up against the Brooklyn Nets, who recently went out and acquired former league MVP James Harden.

The Bucks have had its struggles in the frontcourt this season as Brook Lopez has continued to regress on both ends of the court. He does not look like the solid “supporting cast” player next to Giannis anymore and as a result, the Bucks could look to add another big man at the NBA trade deadline. 

On the court, Randle could make a big difference for the Bucks because he would take a lot of pressure off of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton as well. While they do have Jrue Holiday as one of their main ball-handlers, Antetokounmpo and Middleton normally have the ball in their hands on offense and are always the ones making the decisions with it. 

Bringing in Julius Randle gives the Bucks another player they can lean on to make decisions, letting Giannis and Middleton not only relax when they are not in the game, but allows them to find open space and move off-the-ball when they are in the game. 

Outside of Giannis, Middleton and Holiday, the Bucks do not have any reliable scorers, which could be troublesome come playoff time when teams attempt to neutralize Middleton or Holiday. Getting that fourth reliable option who is more than capable of holding his own like Julius Randle could be crucial and the missing and final piece to the Bucks’ championship puzzle.