After traveling to Las Vegas for the NBA Cup semifinals the previous two seasons, the Milwaukee Bucks are one of 28 teams watching the action in Sin City from home. As much as they would have loved to return to the tournament, few teams in the league had more of an opportunity to catch their breath and take a break than the Bucks.
With superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined with a right calf strain, Milwaukee pulled off a surprise home win over the Boston Celtics on Thursday. Unfortunately, the good vibes of this victory were invalidated after suffering one of the biggest defeats in franchise history (127-82) against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. The Bucks, now 11-16 on the season, haven’t won two games in a row since October and are barely holding on for last place in the Eastern Conference Play-In tournament.
With Antetokounmpo, it’s not just the injuries. Trade rumors that usually only bubble up during the offseason have now made their way into the regular season, as Antetokounmpo and the Bucks as a whole have been unhappy with the team’s results early in the season. This discontent takes on even greater significance as December 15 marks the unofficial start of the league’s trading season. A large majority of players who signed contracts during the offseason become eligible for trade.
But even that outside noise may have fans of opposing teams salivating over the potential of adding Milwaukee’s two-time MVP to their roster, league sources said. Athletics The Bucks have told teams they are looking to add to their roster in hopes of strengthening their struggling team in the week leading up to December 15th. This message could certainly change as the February 5 trade deadline approaches.
Five months after the Bucks’ stunning decision to waive Damian Lillard en route to adding big man Myles Turner on a four-year, $107 million deal, it appears they’re not yet waving the white flag on Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee. Instead, league sources said they are considering making another big addition that could improve their chances of convincing him to stay.
As this latest inexplicable loss has shown once again, there’s no doubt that Milwaukee’s team could use some serious help.
The Bucks have a group of younger guards in their 20s — Kevin Porter Jr., Ryan Rollins, AJ Green and Gary Trent Jr. — who are regulars in Doc Rivers’ rotation. But all are 6 feet 5 inches or shorter. Green, one of the NBA’s best 3-point shooters, has missed the last three games with a sprained left joint. Milwaukee also has four bigs – Antetokounmpo, Turner, Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis – who have contributed throughout the season.
Kyle Kuzma (18) and Kevin Porter Jr. have been two of the key contributors for the Milwaukee Bucks, but will a Bucks team wanting better results in the win column make a move during the trade season? (John Fisher/Getty Images)
However, with Taurean Prince’s neck injury and subsequent surgery, the Bucks essentially don’t have any wings that have earned Rivers’ trust. This led to Rivers having to use mismatched lineups, featuring either three guards or three bigs, to get through games.
That said, it is not surprising that, as Athletics confirmed this weekthey recently did their due diligence on Zach LaVine of the Sacramento Kings (and have expressed interest in him in the past). At a minimum, this revelation shows that, with their backs against the wall, the Bucks might once again be ready to make a bigger decision than simply adding points on the periphery as they search for solutions.
If the Bucks have doubts about Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee, using one of the team’s limited remaining assets to improve the team this season could be perilous for general manager Jon Horst.
While Horst limited his team’s salary cap space over the next five seasons with the decision to part ways with Lillard — the $112 million he was owed will be spread across Milwaukee’s books for five seasons — the Bucks’ summer moves left their remaining first-round picks intact. But while Horst could move up to three first-round picks starting on draft night (when he could move the Bucks’ 2026 first-round pick), the team can only move one first-round pick at this year’s trade deadline.
But deciding to trade another future pick would be dangerous. This is especially risky if the Bucks have concerns about Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee. Ultimately, if Horst doesn’t want to move a first-round pick, Milwaukee’s options to improve the team are limited, as they don’t have enough depth to have players who could be considered replaceable.
Their best path to more talent might be to use a similar strategy to waiving and stretching Lillard, and looking to take more money from a team looking to get rid of a player who could break up the Bucks’ rotation, but who also has a less favorable contract than a current Bucks player. This could mean signing a player who has a longer contract than one of their current players for a similar amount. It could also mean perhaps signing a player who carries a larger contract number this season to help another team avoid the luxury tax or one of the two aprons in the collective bargaining agreement, given that the Bucks still have salary cap space below the luxury tax threshold.
However, whatever the Bucks decide, Antetokounmpo’s situation will weigh on any decision they make and will need to be thoughtfully considered in any decision made before the February 5 trade deadline.
