Jason Kidd stands on an empty Milwaukee Bucks practice floor looking more like a construction manager than a basketball coach.

On this day in late March, Kidd talks about his team's future as if it's a blueprint for a new development. He points to the floor and talks about the foundation, mentioning youngsters like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker, Michael Carter-Williams and Khris Middleton.

Improving the young Bucks' shooting Jason Kidd understands what it will take to make both Michael Carter-Williams and Giannis Antetokounmpo good shooters. Bradford Doolittle

Then he points to the walls and talks about the team's ample cap space, draft picks and roster salary flexibility, as if they are support beams for the future.

Next he looks to the ceiling and mentions the hope that comes with the plans for a new state-of-the-art arena and practice facility, and how they will only enhance the Bucks' future. All of this pushed by a new ownership group willing to finance the construction project that Kidd foresees.

“You look at us right now. ... Our core is pretty rich, pretty deep and pretty young,” said Kidd, rattling off other names like John Henson, Tyler Ennis and Damien Inglis.

“The future is bright.”

So even though the Bucks' season concluded with a humiliating 120-66 Game 6 loss to Chicago, that’s not how they see their story ending.

In reality, things look like they're only just beginning in Milwaukee. Amid losing Parker to injury, waiving Larry Sanders midseason and making a trade for Carter-Williams at the deadline, the Bucks won 41 games and took the Bulls to six games in the playoffs after winning just 15 games the season before.

On top of that, Antetokounmpo (20 years old), Middleton (23), Carter-Williams (23) and Henson (24) got valuable playoff experience together. They learned what it's like to try to stop a Derrick Rose for an entire playoff series, felt the effort put forth from guys like Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol and even learned some tricks from crafty vets like Mike Dunleavy. So next season, the Bucks can expect to take Giannis-like strides forward.

Add to that mix a player like Parker, the second overall pick who averaged 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds before suffering a season-ending ACL injury in December, and the Bucks basically have a lottery player joining the core next season with 25 games of NBA experience and a season around NBA coaching.

“If you are looking to improve from within, how much better can you improve by adding a Jabari Parker to your roster?” said Bucks general manager John Hammond, who noted that Parker is making great progress with his knee.

Another part of improving internally will be by keeping Middleton, who is a restricted free agent. Middleton averaged career-highs of 13.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 46.7 percent shooting this season, while also emerging as a clutch option at the end of tight games.

The desire to keep Middleton in Milwaukee was just one of a few reasons why the Bucks traded Brandon Knight for Carter-Williams at the trade deadline despite the Bucks' 30-23 record at the time, when Knight led the team in scoring (17.8 points).

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Knight also will be a restricted free agent this summer and the Bucks could have saved $13-$15 million a season by trading Knight for Carter-Williams, last year’s Rookie of the Year who still has two seasons remaining under his rookie deal.

“I suppose if you are a veteran team and the be all, end all was to make the playoffs and be as good as we can be this year, you probably stand pat and don’t make a trade like that because things are going so well for us and Brandon was playing well,” said Hammond, who praised Knight for being everything Milwaukee asked of him. “But look, this is not about who we are today. This is about who we think we can be in the future.”

Kidd sees a roster teeming with height, length, versatility and potential with the 6-foot-11 Antetokounmpo, 6-foot-6 Carter-Williams, 6-foot-8 Parker, 6-foot-7 Middleton, 6-foot-11 Henson and 6-foot-8 Inglis, a 19-year-old prospect who missed the season with a broken foot after being drafted 31st overall.

“The game is changing in that way when looking at the last couple of champions,” Kidd said. “Miami, San Antonio ... being able to play through Tim (Duncan) but having the ball be able to move on the perimeter and you have different guys playing multiple positions.”

The Bucks can use some more perimeter shooting and a presence in the paint. Armed with approximately $15 million in cap space this summer, Milwaukee hopes to shop in free agency. New owners Marc Lasry, Wes Edens and Jamie Dinan will certainly want to fill a new proposed arena with the best product possible years from now.

“Make no mistake," Hammond said. "If we can attract the right kind of player for our team today, we will be as aggressive as possible starting this summer."

The Bucks have money and owners ready to spend. They possess an up-and-coming and versatile core packed with potential, a flexible roster and own assets like all of their draft picks along with the Los Angeles Clippers’ 2017 lottery-protected first-round pick.

But can the Bucks attract big-named free agents to Milwaukee?

Miami’s Dwyane Wade, who starred at Marquette, says it all depends on the talent they have and the kind of ownership/management they have making the decisions.

“The organization,” Wade said recently of how a small market and cold-weather destination like Milwaukee can become attractive to free agents. “What players are they going to get? What players are here and the organization itself.

“Miami is a great city, so that is attractive. But Cleveland got LeBron James, so that makes it attractive for people that want to go there. It is just about the guys you have here and what the organization is like. Anything can happen.”

The Bucks may not have South Beach or a top-five franchise player like James. But they’re building something in Milwaukee.

“Can Milwaukee be a destination?” Kidd said. “Great answer (from Wade). Cleveland did it, why can’t Milwaukee?”