SPORTS LINE
The Milwaukee Bucks.
For years, the Milwaukee Bucks have been looking for a go-to wing defender. The team now has an intriguing option in Ousmane Dieng, whom they acquired at the NBA Trade Deadline. Dieng himself recently spoke about wanting to grow as a defender, and Bucks fans should be thrilled. On paper, Dieng has all of the tools to be a strong defender. He boasts the physical tools, such as height, length, and athleticism, to be a troubling matchup for anyone. For Milwaukee, they just need to bring it out of him.
Ousmane Dieng is a 6’9″, 22-year-old French forward acquired by the Milwaukee Bucks in a February 5, 2026, three-team trade from the Chicago Bulls. A 2022 lottery pick (11th overall), he brings needed size, playmaking, and defensive potential to Milwaukee’s wing position, having previously won the 2025 NBA Championship with Oklahoma City. In his second game on Feb. 9, he did get the chance to play extended minutes in Milwaukee’s last two games before the All-Star break — and he made quite an impression. In the Bucks’ 116-108 win over the Orlando Magic on Feb. 11, he put up 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting and made 5 of 8 from behind the 3-point line, a single-game career high, off the bench. He also added three rebounds.
In his return to Oklahoma City the following day, Dieng scored a season-high 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds, while also dishing out six assists and blocking four shots. In helping the Bucks to a 110-93 win, he started his first game with his new team. It was his first start of the season and only the third start of his career. While not a natural small forward, Doc Rivers said he plans to utilize Dieng as a three with the Bucks. Given how short-handed the Bucks are at the position, with AJ Green, a two-guard, being forced to start there for most of the season, it makes sense that the team would look to shake things up. While he’s a big three, he does have the tools to fit well in that spot. Moving forward, Dieng will need to continue to work on ways to impact games without his 3-point shot falling at a high rate. The Bucks don’t have many players on the roster who are the size of NBA wings. Ultimately, Dieng is the youngest player on the roster, and even if it took two days and three trades to get him to Milwaukee, the Bucks have a promising young player to develop after the All-Star break.
The Milwaukee Brewers.
The Brewers have dominated the NL Central for the past eight years. They’ve won three consecutive division titles, four of the last five, and in five of the past seven full seasons (excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season). They have averaged 92.6 victories a year since 2020, including a franchise-record and major-league leading 97 victories last year. And not once was there a single season in which they were preseason picks to win the division. The Milwaukee Brewers are doing the thing baseball people love to dismiss until October forces everyone to copy it. Milwaukee still has a closer on paper. Trevor Megill just saved 30 games with a 2.49 ERA and made the All-Star team in 2025. But when manager Pat Murphy was asked who closes in 2026, he basically shrugged and said it’ll be about matchups, health, and “other guys in that mix,” hinting that a committee mentality might be the most “uncommon” way for them to win. This was a winter where their hated rivals, the Chicago Cubs, spent $209 million in free agency, while also acquiring Miami Marlins front-line starter Edward Cabrera in a trade. The Brewers spent a total of $6.5 million. The Cubs filled their third-base spot by signing Alex Bregman to a five-year, $175 million contract. The Brewers filled their vacancy with Luis Rengifo on a one-year, $3.5 million deal. The Brewers are always counted out in March, and in October, everyone’s scratching their head and wondering how they pulled it off. In many aspects, the Brewers are the Major League Baseball Players Association’s dream team. They’re a perennial playoff team year after year despite a bottom-10 payroll, proving a salary cap isn’t necessary for small-market teams to win. Milwaukee is being innovative. But it’s also being practical.
