Milwaukee needs a big swing this offseason, and a familiar face could be the answer.
The Milwaukee Bucks went 32-50 this season, missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016, and watched Doc Rivers resign after three disappointing years.
So when the front office went out and hired Taylor Jenkins as the 19th head coach in franchise history, the follow-up became less about scheme and more about whether Jenkins could bring someone with him from his old life in Memphis.
The name that makes the most sense is Ja Morant, the guard Jenkins coached for six seasons in Memphis and a two-time All-Star who still averaged 19.5 points and 8.1 assists in 20 games this year before a left UCL sprain shut him down in January.
His situation with the Grizzlies has completely unraveled since then, with multiple sources saying the 26-year-old has told people around the league he is done playing in Memphis.
Why the Bucks Would Want Morant
Giannis Antetokounmpo put up 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 36 games this season, but every time he sat the Bucks looked lost because the roster around him could not carry the load.
Milwaukee needs somebody else who can run an offense and create on his own, and Morant can do that when he is healthy.
The Jenkins hire only adds to the noise, because multiple teams believed Milwaukee's interest in Morant at the February deadline was real and now that the Bucks brought in his former coach, that interest is only going to get louder.
General manager Jon Horst did not exactly play it down when the hire was announced, saying Jenkins is "the right fit to take our team to the next level."
The Giannis piece hanging over everything raises the stakes, because Antetokounmpo is heading into the final guaranteed year of his deal in 2026-27 with a player option after that and Milwaukee has to show it wants to win.
Landing Morant would go a long way toward making that case.
What a Trade Package Could Look Like
Getting a deal done would be the tricky part, because Morant is owed $42.1 million next season and $44 million in 2027-28, so Milwaukee would have to move serious salary to make the math work.
One package that has been thrown around includes Kyle Kuzma, Bobby Portis, Kevin Porter Jr. and Gary Trent Jr. going to Memphis with a future first.
The hangup might be Ryan Rollins, who Memphis reportedly wanted in every version of a Morant deal at the deadline before Milwaukee said no.
Rollins averaged 17.3 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 40.6 percent from three this season, so it is easy to see why the Bucks want to keep him.
If Memphis keeps insisting on Rollins being part of it, this whole thing gets a lot harder to pull off before the summer is over.