Latest Milwaukee Bucks move fails to solve foundational problems

Taurean Prince has agreed to join the Milwaukee Bucks, as The Athletic's Shams Charania reported on Wednesday.

Prince, 30, spent last season with the Los Angeles Lakers. He played in 78 regular-season games, starting 49 of them. He averaged 8.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 39.6% from three-point range and 51.9% from two-point range.

Adding Prince undoubtedly offers some versatility for the Bucks rotation. He can thrive as part of the second unit or slot into the starting five as a 3-and-D wing. However, Milwaukee's problems this past season stemmed far deeper than adding an additional forward in free agency. Furthermore, the franchise has been far too quiet during the opening weeks of the offseason, which should be concerning for its fanbase.

Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton both appear to have lost a step. Neither are the dominant forces we saw during the Bucks' run to the 2021 championship. Lopez is still a high-level rim protector and three-point shooting big. Middleton is an elite catch-and-shoot threat, yet he doesn't have the same explosion that allowed him to shred defenders on the close-out years back.

Milwaukee needs to figure out if Middleton and Lopez can still help the franchise win another championship. If the answer is no, they must move quickly to find upgrades. Last season, the Bucks struggled for consistency and promptly found themselves starting their summer early.

Prince is a band-aid for a much larger problem. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard can't do everything on their own. Doc Rivers will have his work cut out next season if the Bucks don't make any further offseason moves.