Milwaukee Bucks Trade Rumors: Weighing Options Prior To Deadline

As the clock ticks down to the NBA trade deadline, the Milwaukee Bucks are again reported to be “doing their due diligence”.

For anyone with the slightest familiarity with the organizational approach of the Milwaukee Bucks in recent years, it will come as no surprise to hear that the franchise may well be open for business in the run-up to the NBA trade deadline on Thursday of this week.

Under John Hammond’s stewardship as general manager, the Bucks have been a staple of the rumor mill at this time of the year. Not only has Milwaukee regularly been at the center of speculation, but they’ve often managed to get deals across the line too. Although, the less said about that the better.

With the Bucks among a handful of teams to already have made a deal in recent weeks, trading Miles Plumlee to the Charlotte Hornets could easily end up as the organization’s only move.

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Even if that means the Bucks won’t be proactively selling players, it’s also not to suggest that they won’t be open to fielding calls.

According to Zach Lowe of ESPN, not for the first time the Bucks can likely be viewed as open to making a deal if the right offer was to present itself.

"“The Bucks are doing their due diligence to see if they can step into a seller’s void, sources say. They’ll at least listen on anyone but Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker, Thon Maker, and Khris Middleton, though the main potential Greg Monroe landing spots have dried up. (Monroe seems likely to decline his $17.8 million player option for next season, at least as of now, a move that would give the Bucks an unexpected batch of cap space.) The Plumlee trade relieved any short-term cap stress, giving the Bucks a little more leverage.”"

If a willingness to do business isn’t particularly telling in the context of the Bucks, there are a couple of other intriguing details to emerge from Lowe’s piece.

Firstly, the Bucks’ faith in Thon Maker is incredibly strong. Although Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker and Khris Middleton have long been viewed as the core pieces that were off the table, Maker’s inclusion would seem to say plenty about the rookie’s ability, work ethic, and the progress he’s already showing in flashes on the court.

The fact that the Bucks will listen to offers on anyone outside of that makes a lot of sense, although I would be surprised if Malcolm Brogdon wasn’t another player who’s effectively been placed in that select, currently off the table group.

While Greg Monroe’s impressive season always seemed likely to encourage the big man to opt out of his player option and explore the market in free agency, whether just Lowe’s own opinion or based on any intel, acknowledgement that he’s likely to decline is an interesting development that hasn’t always been entirely clear.

Overall, as the whispers gradually start to build up to deafening levels in the coming days, it seems like we should probably expect the Bucks to at least be mentioned in potential deals.

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That doesn’t change the fact that a minor trade seems unlikely to save or destroy Milwaukee’s season at this point. And so, while the Bucks will look to exploit any potential steals, they’re not in a position where they need to make trades just for the sake of making them.

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