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The Milwaukee Bucks are monitoring the market as the February 5 trade deadline approaches.
The team could go in either direction as a buyer or seller, but the team is leaning towards trying to gather pieces that could help the team get back into the playoff mix. The Athletic insider Sam Amick wrote about the possibility of the Bucks becoming a buyer at the trade deadline.
“Yet while the speculation about Antetokounmpo’s uncertain future isn’t going away anytime soon, they’ll surely be happy to hear that the rebuttal of outside overtures for Antetokounmpo’s services continues,” Amick wrote.
“As Bucks beat writer Eric Nehm reported recently, longtime general manager Jon Horst has been scouring the league looking for impactful upgrades with the hopes of turning around and, ultimately, persuading Antetokounmpo to stay.
“It remains to be seen whether he can pull off anything significant, as Milwaukee is (by its own doing) limited in assets and options. The list of names under consideration is likely much longer than what is publicly known, but a few have emerged. The Kings’ LaVine is a confirmed target, as is — according to ESPN — Sacramento’s Malik Monk and Portland’s Jerami Grant. League sources say Brooklyn’s Michael Porter Jr. is a name worth watching as well.”
Bucks linked to several top players
The problem with the Bucks at the moment is that they don’t have a true number two option behind Antetokounmpo. It’s why the team struggled so much when he was on the sidelines with a calf strain.
That player used to be Khris Middleton, then it was Damian Lillard. While the plan is to have that be Myles Turner, he doesn’t fit the bill as much as the others have.
Getting someone like LaVine, Porter Jr., or Grant could give the Bucks that number two option. All three of those guys have proven to be the best player on a roster at some point in their career.
Monk doesn’t fit the same label, but he is a cheaper option that could slide into the team’s starting lineup as a two-guard right away if Doc Rivers wanted him to do that.
In the meantime, the Bucks are back in action against the Sacramento Kings. Tip-off is scheduled for tomorrow night at 8 p.m. CT inside the Golden One Center in Sacramento. Fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.