{"id":116889,"date":"2025-01-08T20:54:38","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T01:54:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=116889"},"modified":"2025-01-08T20:54:38","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T01:54:38","slug":"10-milwaukee-bucks-trade-targets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/08\/10-milwaukee-bucks-trade-targets\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Milwaukee Bucks Trade Targets"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Milwaukee Bucks are in an interesting position right now. Despite winning the NBA Cup<\/a>, they are sixth in the Eastern Conference standings with a 16-18. The Bucks\u00a0will likely\u00a0be in the playoffs this year,\u00a0yet\u00a0calling them a serious title contender would be far-fetched.\u00a0This situation is very different from the past few years. For the past six years, the Bucks have consistently been serious title contenders toward the top of the conference standings. With the trade deadline approaching, it is unclear what they will do in the near future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

10 Milwaukee Bucks Trade Targets<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Needs<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Right now, the Bucks need help at the wing. Khris Middleton<\/a> has been struggling severely with injuries for the past three seasons. Middleton’s performance also declined quite drastically in that period. <\/span>This<\/span> is why Doc Rivers has been hesitant about playing him, recently Middleton was moved to the bench<\/a>. Taurean Prince<\/a> is not the answer at small forward if the Bucks want to keep their title hopes alive.\u00a0The same goes for Andre Jackson Jr.<\/a> and Gary Trent Jr.<\/a> at shooting guard.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to these needs, the Bucks could look to acquire another center to complement Brook Lopez<\/a>. Despite still being a high-quality defender, at 36 he is very old. Lopez is also in the last year of his contract, and with the Bucks expressing interest in another center, retirement for Lopez seems possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Teams<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The obvious potential trade partners are the ones at the bottom of the standings, with little to no playoff hopes. This includes teams like the Hornets, Raptors, Wizards, Jazz, Pelicans, and Trail Blazers. There are also other teams that have certain players they are looking to move based on current needs, contract situations, etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Realistic Trade Targets<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Let’s get one thing out of the way: The Bucks should not trade for Jimmy Butler<\/a>. He has proven himself to be a possible locker-room ailment with the recent drama surrounding him and the Heat. Plus, the Bucks would only have him for this year and <\/span>next<\/span>\u00a0while paying a pretty penny for him in both trade value and salary. When it comes to potential trade targets, it is best to look for guys who aren’t too young but could make a sizeable impact. As the Bucks are a second-apron team, many of these trades would require a third team or for Milwaukee to dump salary in another move.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cody Martin<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Cody Martin<\/a> from the Hornets is an intriguing target for Milwaukee. He is a 29-year-old small forward who would give a massive defensive boost to Milwaukee.\u00a0He has proven to fill out a lineup well and\u00a0provide\u00a0value.\u00a0The Bucks would have him for the rest of this year and next season.\u00a0The only thing that might hold the Hornets back from giving Martin up is his very team-friendly contract. He is only getting a little over $8 million\u00a0<\/span>per year<\/span>\u00a0for the remainder of his contract. Since he fills out a lineup well for a\u00a0low\u00a0price, I could see the Hornets riding it out with him until he hits free agency in 2026. Nevertheless, the Bucks should explore landing Martin.<\/span><\/p>\n

Malcolm Brogdon<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0and Kyle Kuzma<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Wizards are a fascinating potential trade partner for Milwaukee.\u00a0They have a few high-profile guys the Bucks could pursue, including a former Buck.\u00a0The players are Malcolm Brogdon<\/a> and Kyle Kuzma<\/a>. They have two of the highest salaries on the Wizards, so I could see Washington wanting to shed them. Despite struggling with injuries, a reunion with Brogdon could be in store. The Bucks would only have him for the rest of this year, so they might not have to give up\u00a0much. Kuzma has also struggled with injuries this year, which brings his value down. He has this year plus two more remaining on his contract. Brogdon’s $23 million per year salary makes a trade challenging for the Bucks regardless, he would be an ideal fit as an all-around guard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jakob Poeltl<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Toronto could provide Milwaukee with the extra big man they\u00a0want\u00a0in Jakob Poeltl<\/a>. He is 29 years old and has had a fantastic season so far. His contract is for $19.5 million per year for this year and the next two (the final of these years being a player option). Poeltl would be perfect to give Lopez some rest. He would also be a fantastic replacement for Lopez should he retire after this year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dejounte Murray<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0and CJ McCollum<\/span><\/h3>\n

CJ McCollum <\/a>is a guard who could help Milwaukee. He is 33 with a hefty contract for this year and next. I’m not sure Milwaukee wants to deal with that salary (depending on what\/who\u00a0<\/span>is traded<\/span>). Dejounte Murray<\/a> is another guard that would boost Milwaukee.\u00a0He is 28 and earning a similar amount to McCollum, but he signed\u00a0for this\u00a0year\u00a0and the next three (the final of these years\u00a0is a player option).\u00a0If Milwaukee wants to look longer-term, Murray could be their guy. Landing either player would take some financial maneuvering but either player would be an ideal fit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Matisse Thybulle and Jerami Grant<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Even though he hasn’t played this season, Matisse Thybulle<\/a> could be a significant defensive addition at small forward. He is about to turn 28 and is signed for about $11 million this year and next year (next year is a player option).\u00a0Jerami Grant<\/a> would be a perfect wing defender next to\u00a0Giannis Antetokounmpo. <\/a>However, he is about to turn 31 with an expensive contract making a deal challenging for the Bucks. If the Bucks can find a third team they could land Grant. Ultimately, Thybulle is a more realistic target and he would elevate the Bucks’ wing defense.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The 32-year-old shooting guard Jordan Clarkson<\/a> could be on Milwaukee’s radar in the coming weeks. Clarkson would provide immense value in the three-point shooting department. He is getting a little over $14 million\u00a0<\/span>per year<\/span>\u00a0for this year and next. While he isn’t my favorite choice to fill out the lineup, Milwaukee could get him at a discount due to his injury problems this year. Next is Collin Sexton<\/a>,\u00a0a 26-year-old guard who can score and handle the ball. Sexton’s two-way ability also would make him a good player to target. His contract is\u00a0the same length as Clarkson’s but $4 million more\u00a0<\/span>per year<\/span>.\u00a0Sexton is a guy\u00a0I would love to\u00a0see Milwaukee trade for and possibly sign long-term.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Milwaukee Bucks are in an interesting position right now. Despite winning the NBA Cup, they are sixth in the Eastern Conference standings with a 16-18. The Bucks\u00a0will likely\u00a0be in the playoffs this year,\u00a0yet\u00a0calling them a serious title contender would be far-fetched.\u00a0This situation is very different from the past few years. For the past six […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5402,"featured_media":116953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,7,15,33,23,14,24,18],"tags":[308,233,49781,1594,306,968,1628,324,1128,609,1963,202,4774,1382],"class_list":["post-116889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-hornets","category-bucks","category-pelicans","category-trailblazers","category-raptors","category-jazz","category-wizards","tag-brandon-ingram","tag-brook-lopez","tag-cody-martin","tag-collin-sexton","tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","tag-jakob-poeltl","tag-jerami-grant","tag-khris-middleton","tag-kyle-kuzma","tag-malcolm-brogdon","tag-matisse-thybulle","tag-nba-news","tag-rumors","tag-nba-trade"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5402"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116889"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116954,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116889\/revisions\/116954"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}