The Milwaukee Bucks are 35-20 and are currently holding onto the third seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. Despite their good record, very few are satisfied with their performance so far this season. The team’s poor defense and slow-to-develop chemistry led to the firing of rookie head coach Adrian Griffin.
Assistant coach Joe Prunty went 2-1 as the team’s interim head coach while the front office went out and hired veteran head coach Doc Rivers to take over. While the defense has improved, Milwaukee is just 3-6 since Rivers took over.
To be fair, the players themselves have not had the best breaks. Khris Middleton suffered a sprained ankle when Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant stuck his foot under the Bucks’ forward’s foot after he attempted a jump shot. All-Star point guard Damian Lillard, too, has missed a couple of games dealing with a sprained ankle of his own.
Lillard’s struggles this season, though, go beyond physical injuries. He is in the middle of a divorce and the stress and emotions that are involved in that process have affected his production on the court. Currently, Lillard is average 24.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game while shooting 42/34/92 from the floor. All of these numbers, aside from his free throw percentage, are down from his last season with the Portland Trailblazers.
NBA Teams May Attempt to Trade for Milwaukee Bucks Stars This Offseason
Needless to say, the Bucks’ struggles this season have been viewed with a watchful eye by the rest of the NBA. According to a report by The Ringer, multiple teams are monitoring Milwaukee’s progress, or lack there of, to determine whether or not they may be able to pry away a superstar or two via trade in the offseason:
Th”ere’s also pressure in Milwaukee (see: the Bucks firing their coach after a 30-13 start) on the heels of the Damian Lillard blockbuster last summer, and in Philadelphia, in the wake of the soured Harden experiment. Both franchises feature recent MVPs and a recent history of postseason flops. No one expects Giannis Antetokounmpo or Joel Embiid to ask out, even if things go badly again this spring, but rivals are keeping an eye on both, anyway (and on Lillard).”
As the report mentions, no one really expects Milwaukee to make either Giannis Antetokounmpo or Lillard available in a trade. Bucks general manager Jon Horst, though, has been known to do unexpected things.
The Likelihood that the Milwaukee Bucks Trade Giannis Antetokounmpo Is Zero
While there are multiple stars in the NBA that are not above requesting a trade just a year into a multi-year contract,. Giannis is not one of them. Furthermore, he has repeatedly made clear his intention to play in Milwaukee for the entirety of his career.
It is also very improbable that the Bucks would look into trading Lillard just one season after acquiring him. For the sake of argument, though, let’s say they had to trade one of them. Lillard’s numbers this season were already referenced above. Giannis, meanwhile, is averaging 30.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game.
Giannis is also younger than Milwaukee and has incredibly deep connections with the city and the fans. Other teams can monitor things all they want, but Giannis (and Dame) are not going anywhere.
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