The Brewers and Giants finish their three-game series this afternoon in Milwaukee, as well as the short three-game series at home. Aaron Civale faces Hayden Birdsong in the final game of the series. First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. and will be on Bally Sports Wisconsin and the Brewers Radio Network.

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks are almost ready to turn its eyes to the 2024-25 season, and it’s fun to deal in the present.

But what about the future?

The Bucks, who have been in ”win-now” mode the past several years, have spent a lot of draft capital while chasing titles. Compared to other NBA franchises like the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, who’ve been stockpiling future draft picks, the Bucks’ war chest of future draft capital seems rather bare. This is in large part due to their goal of building a championship-caliber roster centered around Giannis Antetokounmpo, which is why most of their upcoming draft capital has vanished due to trading for Jrue Holiday in 2020 and Damian Lillard last offseason.

These big-name acquisitions over recent years have caused the Bucks to have limited options when it comes to upgrading its roster, though stealing Gary Trent Jr. earlier this offseason was a big deal. Coming off its second straight first-round playoff exit, there is little Bucks’ general manager Jon Horst has to work with in relation to trading away future draft picks for proven NBA players or unproven prospects.

Here’s a deep dive into the current status of the Bucks’ future draft picks, the ones they’ve traded away and the options they will have moving forward.

The Bucks have made many headlines from the trade market over recent years as they’ve pushed to contend for titles during Giannis Antetokounmpo’s physical prime. Here’s a look at the cost of all those transactions.

Having limited draft assets immediately available, the Bucks’ front office needs to be as strategic as possible when exploring various avenues to enhance the roster. Here are some ideas that Horst could explore later down the road.

1. Utilize future picks for in-season trade

Depending how well the Bucks open the first half of the season, they could find themselves active ahead of the trade deadline, which ends on Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. ET. They could package their 2031 and/or 2031 second in a combination with a current player to upgrade their roster.

2. Strategize potential pick swaps with Portland and New Orleans

Considering the amount of pick swaps the Bucks have with both New Orleans and Portland, Milwaukee could engage discussions with both teams to potentially avoid these swaps. They could offer current players or other assets in order to retain certain picks if they were to have a down season in one of the years they’d swap picks.

3. Hang on to future picks to speed up a possible rebuild

Bucks’ fans may not like to hear this, but the clock is ticking on thier championship window. Damian Lillard recently turned 34 years old, signifying he’s on the very backend of his prime. Khris Middleton has been riddled with leg injuries over the past two seasons, leaving his ability to bounce-back to all-star form in serious question. Giannis Antetokounmpo will also turn 30 years old later this December and while he’s shown no signs of slowing down, he could opt out of his 2027-28 player option and test free agency if the Bucks don’t make serious noise in the playoffs over the next handful of seasons. With all that in mind, Milwaukee could opt to hold onto its future picks in order to prepare for a possible rebuild later down the line.

It’s no secret the Bucks are in a complex situation regarding their future draft assets. They’ve already mortgaged most of their future draft capital to build a championship-level roster, but yet they still find themselves holding onto some valuable first-round picks. The key for the Bucks is to leverage the assets they still own to further enhance their current roster while also maneuvering through the complexities of all their traded picks and picks swaps.

Going forward into 2024-25, it will be interesting to see if Horst will make any moves that will see himself trade away more assets or try and recoup some by trading away current players on the roster.

MILWAUKEE – Freddy Peralta pitched six scoreless innings, William Contreras capped a five-run fifth inning with a two-run homer and the Milwaukee Brewers hung on to beat the San Francisco Giants 5-3 on Wednesday night.

Peralta (9-7) allowed two walks and Thairo Estrada’s base hit through five innings as the Brewers built a 5-0 lead. The Giants threatened in the sixth with a two-out single by Tyler Fitzgerald and a walk before Peralta struck out Heliot Ramos and let out a scream as he walked from the mound.

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Peralta struck out eight, allowed only two hits and walked three.

Kyle Harrison (7-6) allowed a one-out single to Blake Perkins in the first inning and then retired 11 of the next 12 batters before the Brewers broke through in the fifth.

Jackson Chourio’s RBI base single started the scoring. After a mound visit, Perkins drilled a two-run double off the wall in left-center. Contreras crushed the first-pitch changeup from the rookie left hander for his 18th home run of the season. That was it for Harrison, who left after striking out seven and walking three in his 23rd start of the season.

Milwaukee’s Devin Williams bounced back from his first blown save last Wednesday at St. Louis with a 1-2-3 ninth for his sixth save in seven chances. He was reinstated July 28 after missing 104 games with a stress fracture in his back.

The Giants spoiled the shutout bid with a run in the seventh and two more in the eighth.

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Matt Chapman doubled off Trevor Megill, advanced on a ground out and scored Estrada’s base hit, his second of the game.

Michael Conforto snapped a 4 for 30 stretch with a run-scoring double and Ramos tacked on another run with a base hit in the eighth, all off Jared Koenig.

San Francisco came in having won seven of the last 10 games at American Family Field and nine of the last 14 overall dating to 2019.

Trainer’s room

Brewers: LHP Hoby Milner (left shoulder impingement) looks to begin a rehab assignment Aug. 30 with High-A Wisconsin.

Up next

RHP Hayden Birdsong (3-3, 4.57 ERA) starts for the Giants and RHP Aaron Civale (4-8, 4.84) goes for the Brewers when the three-game series concludes Thursday afternoon.