Milwaukee Bucks Trade Rumors: Talking With Orlando?

With All-Star Weekend over for another year, don’t be surprised if in spite of a lot of statements to the contrary Milwaukee Bucks trade rumors ramp up prior to the trade deadline.

As players return to their teams or head on vacation after the conclusion of All-Star Weekend, the NBA’s front offices brace for one of their busier spells of the year. Trade deadlines are traditionally frightfully quiet or frantically busy, but no matter the eventual outcome it’s a time of year when all teams will make and field calls to see if they can improve their teams.

Last season, the Milwaukee Bucks shocked everyone with a deadline day deal involving multiple teams around the league which saw Michael Carter-Williams become a Buck and Brandon Knight end up in Phoenix among other things.

Make no mistake, even if the Bucks don’t end up executing a deal of that magnitude in the coming days, they’ll certainly be open to the possibility.

Even if the Bucks themselves aren’t in a state of panic ready to blow things up or shake up the roster, it doesn’t necessarily lessen the chances of a deal. There are always other teams in that spot, and if you’re Milwaukee, this might just be the time when a player who catches your eye lands on the market.

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Among teams reported to be considering radical changes are the Atlanta Hawks, who ESPN’s Zach Lowe indicated might catch Milwaukee’s attention, and the Orlando Magic.

Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reported last Friday:

"The Magic have also been linked to the Milwaukee Bucks, although it’s unclear if the Magic were one of the teams trying to pry away Greg Monroe. Bucks sources said there were at least a half a dozen conversations taking place and they did not feel like they were close to anything at this point, believing they’d get serious offers once teams shift into deadline mode during the All-Star break."

Many Bucks fans will be quick to point out that the “half a dozen” conversations reported by Kyler is at odds with much of what Jason Kidd and other prominent Bucks figures have indicated in recent weeks, and of course they’d be right.

This is a game, and the Bucks like all organizations will look to play it the right way.

Prior to the break, coach Kidd told the assembled Bucks media:

"Right now, this is our team. There’s no one coming in and there’s no one leaving."

That was a quote that was widely passed around all corners of the Bucks online fanbase, but not within it’s full context in most cases. As reported by Charles Gardner in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Eric Nehm of Brew Hoop, Kidd’s full quote reads as follows:

"I don’t know if we have any action going on, so there shouldn’t be anybody worried about the rumors if it entails the Milwaukee Bucks.As a professional athlete, the small print says there could be a trade at some point in your career. Sometimes expected, sometimes not. You have to be able to handle that.But right now, this is our team. There’s no one coming in and there’s no one leaving."

Framed in that light, Kidd’s words take on an entirely different meaning. Then you’ve got Khris Middleton‘s quotes in conversation with Sheridan Hoops from All-Star Weekend:

"With the trade deadline, you never know what could pop up, who gets traded and who stays. As far as right now, we’re all going to be there."

In Middleton’s case, it’s fair to say that as a player he’s not going to know for sure one way or another, but his quote is interesting to draw parallels with Kidd’s.

The guts of what both men say is that anything could happen, and that’s reality. Kidd is never going to come out and publicly declare that he and John Hammond are eagerly pursuing trades, as not only could that alienate the team’s current roster, but it could also weaken their bargaining position in trade talks with other teams.

Orlando are undoubtedly one of only many teams who the Bucks are speaking with, but who or what exactly could they be speaking about?

Orlando have recently been rumored to be discussing trades around the league for players as varied as former Buck Tobias Harris and Victor Oladipo, and while Milwaukee’s need for either of those players could be debated, they are the evidence that the Magic are open to moving parts of their talented young core for the right deal.

Kyler clarified:

"It was made very clear that the only way Orlando deals players it feels are core guys is if they get a proven All-Star type player in return, which is what it seems the Magic are looking for at the deadline."

Although the Bucks haven’t got a player that’s an ideal fit for that description yet, Greg Monroe’s production certainly wouldn’t be far off of it. If rumors that the Bucks are shopping him are true, he could catch Orlando’s eye.

Related Story: What Players Should Milwaukee Bucks Target In A Potential Greg Monroe Trade?

In spite of having Nikola Vucevic, whether via trades or free agency the Magic have been linked with major interest in big men as varied in skill set as Blake Griffin, Paul Millsap and Al Horford over the past 12 months or so. That leaves plenty of potential avenues for the Bucks to talk with them about.

As of now, the main takeaway of this shouldn’t be that the Bucks and Magic are seriously talking about a trade as that’s not necessarily even completely accurate. What’s important is that both sides are at least sounding each other out, and the Bucks will likely do the same with plenty of others over the next few days.

Next: Milwaukee Bucks Trade Rumors: Is Matthew Dellavedova Coming To Milwaukee?

Regardless of the eventual outcome, the Milwaukee Bucks are certainly open for business.