The Milwaukee Bucks are certainly a team to watch this week as the 2024 NBA Draft approaches. After two consecutive seasons in which they saw themselves eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, it is clear that there are some significant changes that need to be made to their roster. They have Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard under contract for up to two more seasons but have yet to put together a Championship-caliber supporting cast around them.
Milwaukee’s NBA Championship window is not getting any wider and their roster is getting older. As a result, the feeling around the league is that the Bucks are making several of their key players, members of the 2021 NBA Finals-winning team, available via trade.
As such, there are numerous trade proposals floating around that involve these players, some of them sentimental fan-favorites. One intriguing one involves Brook Lopez reuniting with Milwaukee’s former head coach.
Trade Proposal Has the Milwaukee Bucks Sending Brook Lopez to the Phoenix Suns
While Lopez signed a two-year deal with the Bucks last year, there was always a chance that he would not finish out that contract with Milwaukee. As head coach Doc Rivers looks at ways that he can drastically change the roster to best fit his two superstars, Lopez all of a sudden has become a major trade chip.
Jason Burgos of Sportsnaut suggests the Suns, now coached by Mike Budenholzer, may be a potential destination. His trade of Lopez to Phoenix would look like this:
- Suns get: Brook Lopez and MarJon Beauchamp
- Bucks get: Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, and future second-round pick
As for the Suns, they could also land Lopez and Beauchamp in exchange for Nurkic, Nassir Little, and a future second-round pick. Essentially it would be a deal to swap centers and see if they can get better results in different systems.
The extra second round pick is enticing to Milwaukee, who traded away five of them to acquire Jae Crowder. This pick being sent to them would likely be one of their original picks sent in that trade.
How Would Jusuf Nurkic and Nassir Little Benefit the Milwaukee Bucks?
While Lopez is a great interior defender and rim protector, he is not the best overall rebounder. Nurkic, on the other hand, averaged 11.0 rebounds last year. That being said, Lopez is an adept three-point shooter while Nurkic is a 28% three-point shooter.
Nassir Little would be little more than a bench piece as he only averaged 10.2 minutes per game for the Suns. He did shoot 36% from three two seasons ago, but shot only 30% from beyond the arc last season.
The obvious key to the trade working for the Bucks would be Nurkic, but he may not spread the floor well enough to work in the Bucks’ system.
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