When the Milwaukee Bucks opted to sign and trade combo guard Malcolm Brogdon to the Indiana Pacers for a first- and second-round pick last summer, it removed from their 60-win equation a versatile defender and knockdown shooter. Though Milwaukee retained nearly every other piece of the roster from their breakout 2018-19 squad, Brogdon’s absence stung. It was such a difficult loss that it prompted Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo to go outside his comfort zone to recruit players to help fill the void left by Brogdon.
While outsiders saw the Bucks quickly pivot to veteran depth pieces in an attempt to improve upon their Conference Finals exit last season, adding Kyle Korver and Wesley Matthews as free agents while re-signing backup point guard George Hill, this week Antetokounmpo opened up to Eric Nehm of The Athletic about his role in recruiting players to Milwaukee this summer.
Antetokounmpo isn’t much of a recruiter. He doesn’t believe it’s part of his job as the Bucks’ franchise player.
“I don’t like doing that stuff,” Antetokounmpo said. “I don’t get an extra paycheck for doing Jon’s job or Coach Bud’s job or whoever’s job it is. … If you asked me one year ago, two years ago, I’d say, ‘Coach, just take care of it.’”
As he learned that Brogdon was joining the Pacers though, Antetokounmpo got involved.
“It comes to a point that I’m like, ‘OK. Malcolm’s about to leave,’ ” Antetokounmpo said. “And at the time, Wesley Matthews and Kyle Korver were the guys I felt like could help us win.”
Both players have been pretty seamless fits into the Bucks’ Antetokounmpo-centric style. Together, Matthews and Korver are shooting 38.6 percent from deep amid a mostly healthy season for them as well as the whole Milwaukee roster. Matthews has slid into the starting spot previously occupied by Brogdon, and the numbers show his defensive impact is on par with some of his best seasons since leaving Portland. Playing off the bench in his 18th season, Korver is still one of the best spot-up snipers in the league, helping Milwaukee keep its stars’ minutes low throughout the regular season.
While Antetokounmpo was able to connect with Matthews via their shared agency, Octagon, it wasn’t until he traveled to California’s P3 sports science facility for offseason training that he pitched Korver.
Despite not typically reaching out to free agents to talk up the Bucks, Antetokounmpo got down to X’s and O’s with Korver, explaining the value Korver could have on the roster. For good measure, Antetokounmpo also emphasized how much better equipped he was to get Korver open shots than other teams who wanted to sign Korver, such as the 76ers.
“I kept it honest with both of them and I think that’s what they loved about it,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’m a guy, maybe guys around the league don’t like me, but I think guys around the league respect me, respect who I am, respect what I bring to the table. So, I know when I talk to guys like that, they respect it.
“They know I’m not a BS guy. If I tell you, look we can do this and we can get there, they know I’m going to do whatever it takes. They know that.”
As the Bucks look toward 70 wins, another long playoff run, and, beyond that, offering Antetokounmpo a hefty “designated player” extension worth over $200 million, they can thank the 2019 MVP for securing two key rotation pieces that could be difference-makers during the franchise’s defining stretch.
