The Milwaukee Bucks’ 105-102 loss to the Trail Blazers Saturday Night was their fourth in five games and easily could have been their fifth in a row had they not staged a 19-point comeback in Indiana last week.
Clearly, the team has problems, and they aren’t going away. With the trade deadline approaching on February 6, the team should seriously consider any and all moves to improve this roster. If they stand pat and bow out in the first round for the third straight postseason, the front office may be faced with tough decisions about the current core’s future–including that of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
With that, let’s look into logistics.
The Milwaukee Bucks Have To Make a Move To Contend for a Title
The right moves don’t have to be blockbusters, but this team is desperate for a major boost. In particular, GM Jon Horst should look for the third, two-way scoring option that Khris Middleton no longer is, and/or a productive facilitator.
Obviously, Giannis (32.3 PPG) and Damian Lillard (25.7 PPG) consume a lot of possessions, but the Bucks are simply much easier to plan for when those are the only two guys opponents need to be really concerned about.
As long as those two ball out, that isn’t much of an issue. But while Giannis has played with record-breaking consistency, notching his 27th straight 20+, 50% performance against Portland, Dame has had some clunkers.
Let’s be real: no one else on this team has the present ceiling to be a reliable threat.
Sure, Bobby Portis (13.9 PPG) has posted some monster games this season, and Middleton (12.7 PPG) has enjoyed his moments, but neither is an All-Star level player. While a so-called “big three” is no longer deemed necessary for title contention, Milwaukee is in evident need of help.
Throwing Middleton under the bus isn’t altogether fair, not when he has only played 12 games this season following multiple offseason ankle surgeries. Still, business is business and it may be time to move on from the co-hero of the Bucks’ 2021 Finals run.
Names Milwaukee Should Be Scouting on the Trade Market
By points per game, the Bucks have the 12th-ranked defense and the 13th-ranked offense in the league. In point-differential, they are 14th. That these numbers aren’t lower might be somewhat surprising given the team’s recent struggles.
Regardless, they represent very clearly what Milwaukee currently is: a middle-of-the-pack squad that would be lucky to win a playoff series against a top-three seed.
Due to second-apron salary cap restrictions, Horst is limited in what he can pull off, but there are several compatible trade targets that would undoubtedly improve the roster. Below is a pasta-on-the-wall collection of candidates:
- Cam Johnson SF ($22.5 million salary), Brooklyn Nets: 19.5 PPG, 49.6 FG%, 43.1 3PT%
- De’Andre Hunter F ($21.6 m), Atlanta Hawks: 19.8 PPG, 47.9%, 43.3%
- Dyson Daniels G, Atlanta Hawks ($6.0 m): 12.8 PPG, 3.8 APG, 3.2 SPG
- Coby White PG, Chicago Bulls ($12 m): 18.4 PPG, 4.6 APG
- Malcolm Brogdon PG, Washington Wizards ($22.5 m): 14.4 PPG, 3.9 APG in 25.5 MPG
- RJ Barrett SF, Toronto Raptors ($25.7 m): 23.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 6.2 APG
- Collin Sexton PG, Utah Jazz ($18.3 m): 17.6 PPG, 3.9 APG, 48.7%, 43.0%
For anyone interested in playing around with scenarios, you can do that here.
Most of these options would require parting with either Middleton ($31.6 m) or Brook Lopez ($23 m), depending on incoming salary, in addition to role players like AJ Green or Taurean Prince and draft picks. One such transaction would involve shipping Middleton and the picks to Brooklyn for Johnson and, say, Zaire Williams.
If the Bucks included Lopez in a deal for one of the above players, they would need to obtain a center as part of that trade or a separate one. As far as draft capital, they only have their 2031 first and second rounders. Previous moves have made the cupboards quite bare.
If Horst wants to go all-in on a second ring, though, he should spare no bullet. Those two remaining picks should be favorable ones assuming the close of Milwaukee’s contending window leads to a rebuild.
Is Trading Khris Middleton in One of These Moves a Realistic Option?
The sneaky best move might be stealing Daniels, known for his defense and coming into his own offensively, from Atlanta, but it seems the 7th-seeded Hawks would not be keen on giving him up for Pat Connaughton and 2031 picks.
Probably the biggest hurdle in any trade is the appeal potential trade partners would see in exchanging talent for an aging, if still productive vet like Middleton or Lopez, at anything but a bargain price.
Because the Nets, Raptors, Wizards and Jazz are all going nowhere this season (Brooklyn leads the bunch with 13 wins), they might be interested in listening to offers. In that case, it would just come down to how much interest they show and whether the upgrade in Milwaukee would be worth the last draft picks in sight.
The Bucks have been waiting three years for Middleton to return to form. It’s not going to happen. If they want to be serious contenders this season, they need to do something–at the very least, they need to try. How vigorously they pursue the market is up to Horst and his advisors.
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