Despite having the better seed for the second consecutive postseason, the Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated in the first round once more. ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins thinks it’s time for the Bucks to part ways with their costly tandem after the Indiana Pacers eliminated them in six games.

Following Milwaukee’s 120-98 defeat in Game 6 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana on Thursday, Perkins made a statement regarding the team’s predicament. The former NBA player believed that the 2021 winners would gain more by letting go of Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez:

“This series is one the Pacers deserve. But this offseason, the Bucks have some VERY important decisions to make! It’s necessary to have a talk about how long until they move on from Lopez and Middleton,” Perkins posted on X/Twitter.

Although he still has one year left on his deal, Brook Lopez is already 36. With a $23 million salary scheduled for the upcoming season, Lopez may be a desirable choice for teams like the Orlando Magic or the OKC Thunder that are searching for a seasoned big man. This season, he has averaged 12.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game.

In the meanwhile, Khris Middleton’s contract has two years remaining, with a player option for the 2025–2026 campaign. Although injuries have hindered Middleton’s progress over the last two seasons, he excelled for Milwaukee against the Indiana Pacers in their first-round series.

Throughout the course of six games, Middleton averaged 24.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists while shooting 48.2% from the field, 35.5% from beyond the arc, and 90.0% from the charity stripe. It’s unknown if Giannis Antetokounmpo or the front office would be amenable to parting ways with him because he’s a club legend.

How do the Bucks proceed from here?

The Milwaukee Bucks’ primary issue is that, with Antetokounmpo having signed a huge extension last year, they have an older squad surrounding him. Milwaukee will need to add more youth and slightly restructure their roster.

Since he just took over the roster that Adrian Griffin had built, Doc Rivers will probably stay in his position as coach. This offseason, he will have his way and try to assemble a successful club around the “Greek Freak”.

Ever since they won the NBA title in 2021, the Bucks have been losing games. They didn’t go past the Eastern Conference semifinals until 2022, and in 2023 and 2024 they were eliminated in the first round consecutively.

Given that Antetokounmpo sustained an injury in the postseason for the second consecutive year, his health will also be taken into account. Before faltering before the regular season ended, he was having another MVP-caliber season.

It will be intriguing to watch what the Bucks do in the offseason to guarantee that they go past the opening round of the playoffs the following year.