The Milwaukee Bucks may just be 7-9 on the season thus far, but their prospects for success look a great better than they did better than a few weeks ago. After winning their first game of the season, the Bucks went on a six-game losing streak, and people started to wonder if the organization would blow up the roster and start over.
As has been the case for years, trade rumors involving two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo were common on various national media outlets. For his part, Giannis never addressed the rumors and instead let his play and demeanor do the talking.
Over the last two weeks, the Bucks have won five of their six games and all of sudden are one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference. Now the narrative has gone from Milwaukee being sellers to them being buyers.
The Milwaukee Bucks Were Named as a Team to Monitor to Trade for Robert Williams III
While Milwaukee has certainly shown improvement over the last two weeks, there are still some serious concerns regarding their roster, particularly their bench. Bobby Portis provides instant offense and scoring whenever he checks in, but he is a defensive liability and is often blamed for killing the team’s momentum.
Besides Portis, though, the Bucks do not have a big man on the bench who can be relied upon to consistently spell Giannis or Brook Lopez.
For this reason, perhaps, that one Bucks reporter believes that Milwaukee is a team to monitor for a potential Robert Williams III trade:
The Milwaukee Bucks are another team to closely monitor for Robert Williams III. https://t.co/cZvwmFJSQ2
— Jake Weinbach (@JWeinbachNBA) November 22, 2024
Bucks fans will be familiar with Williams from his days with the Boston Celtics. He frequently gave Milwaukee fits with his defense, especially in their hard-fought postseason battles.
But what may also be familiar about Williams is the fact that he was one of the players included by the Celtics when they acquired Jrue Holiday in a trade with the Portland Trailblazers.
Of course, the Bucks had previously traded Holiday to Portland for Damian Lillard. However, the Trailblazers had no intention of keeping him. The quickly flipped Holiday for Williams, former Milwaukee point guard Malcolm Brogdon, and two first-round NBA Draft picks.
How Robert Williams III Would Help the Milwaukee Bucks
Williams has played in just six games this season due to a hamstring strain he suffered in early October. In these games, he is averaging 10.2 points and 6.5 rebounds in 20.0 minutes. He is also averaging 1.7 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.
What is most impressive about these numbers is that Williams does not start for the Trailblazers. As has been the case for most of his career, he comes off of the bench.
As mentioned earlier, Williams is known for his defense, so his presence on the Bucks roster would instantly improve that aspect of the game on their bench.
He is not, however, a three-point shooter. He would not help create open lanes for Giannis or Lillard because opposing teams do not need to respect him as a shooter.
There will certainly be other teams interested in trading for Williams, and the Bucks do not have the draft prospects or players that will make them big buyers on the market.
That being said, if Portland is interested in a reunion with Pat Connaughton or taking flyer on Marjon Beauchamp, a deal could get done.
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