The Milwaukee Bucks are mostly deprived of draft capital but aren't completely out of it. They still have one first-round pick to dangle in a trade. If the Bucks plan to use it, they must use it wisely.
After a slow start to the season, the Milwaukee Bucks are 26-19 and own the No. 4 seed in the East just a week until the trade deadline. Though their roster looks poised for a playoff run as is, the Bucks are a team to monitor in the trade market.
LaVine is having one of his best seasons, averaging 24 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game while shooting a scorching 44.6 percent from three and 56 percent inside the arc. Those numbers aren’t empty calories—he’s an elite shot-maker who could provide exactly what Milwaukee needs.
All reports indicate that the Bucks are willing to shake up their roster to prepare for a deep playoff run. Khris Middleton is fully on the table, as are Bobby Portis Jr. and Pat Connaughton.
While the Milwaukee Bucks would love to upgrade their roster via a trade heading into deadline season, there's a major problem with any deal coming to fruition.
In this new trade proposal, the Bucks do land an All-Star, grabbing Zach LaVine from the rival Chicago Bulls. The deal would be a three-team trade between the Bucks, Bulls, and Detroit Pistons. Using the Spotrac trade machine and abiding by CBA rules, here is what the deal could look like:
NEW YORK — A Bulls-Magic matchup is part of a group of games being rescheduled by the NBA. The Bulls-Magic game originally scheduled to be played on March 12 in Orlando has been moved to March 6.
The Milwaukee Bucks are a top 4 team in the Eastern Conference and have been without one of their best players in Khris Middleton for most of the season. Even when he has played, Middleton doesn't seem like himself. Every major statistic other than his free throw percentage is down from last season.
The Milwaukee Bucks head to Intuit Dome to face the LA Clippers in a non-conference matchup. The Bucks are 25-17, which puts them in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The Clippers are 24-19, which puts them in sixth place in the Western Conference.
The Milwaukee Bucks are currently the fourth team in the East, but they know it’ll take a lot of work to crack the top three, especially with how fierce the competition is this year. That means they are willing to make a splash before the upcoming trade deadline and improve their roster.
Because the Bucks have crossed the NBA’s second tax apron, players like Connaughton or Portis would have to be traded away to make a deal like this happen. Milwaukee can’t aggregate players in a trade unless that trade gets them under the tax apron.