Milwaukee Bucks: NBA Trade Deadline Outlook

Open to Offers

Greg Monroe, Michael Beasley, Jason Terry, John Henson

This is not to say that the Bucks should trade any of these players, but more that they may owe it to themselves to consider their options if the right enquiry came their way.

Let’s start with John Henson, as his placement in this subsection differs to the other three players mentioned above. Henson is the longest-serving player currently on the roster, and still he may be one of the players who the Bucks know least about in terms of his long-term fit. As a long-armed, mobile and relatively athletic big man, Henson should be a logical mesh with how Milwaukee plays, yet his inconsistencies continue to plague him.

Henson’s contract is not overly expensive, but it’s in that sweet spot where it’s significant enough for the Bucks to at least contemplate the necessity of it sitting on their salary cap bill. Having reached a point where he regularly finds himself on the receiving end of DNP-CDs, Henson could certainly have more value with a new team than he does in Milwaukee.

The other three players are veterans on different ends of the performance scale, who are all destined for free agency this summer, and therefore, although they’re not guaranteed to generate interest, could serve a purpose for teams on the edge of contention.

Jason Terry is far from the most influential on-court contributor for the Bucks, but he’s holding his own by shooting over 40 percent from the field, and has been invaluable as a vocal veteran presence on a young team. It would be surprising if a team came calling about Terry, but if it was to happen, the Bucks would have to listen to offers for a player who may not even be playing next season.

Having picked Beasley up for the price of Tyler Ennis in a trade with the Rockets to add an extra scorer after Khris Middleton’s injury prior to the season, the Bucks have seen Beasley develop into a reliable part of their rotation. Without Jabari Parker, Beasley is now a starter and offers an important offensive punch for Milwaukee. As unlikely is it may seem, again, if interest in Beasley was to arise from elsewhere the Bucks would owe it to themselves to weigh it up against whether they want or feel they can afford to re-sign him this summer.

Maybe the most complicated of them all is Greg Monroe. If Moose’s name was to resurface in trade rumors in the next week it wouldn’t be anything new to him. The difference this time around is that Monroe is playing some of the best basketball of his career, is paving a path that may create a viable long-term fit for him in Milwaukee, and has the chance to opt out and enter free agency this summer if he chooses.

The Bucks already may have decided that they’re confident in Monroe having turned a corner and want him to be with them for years to come, but if any doubt still remains, now represents their last chance to cash in. Doing so would hurt the Bucks in their present form, but could spare them from another long-term deal that may not prove to be in their best interests.

In other words, this is the group of players that would require a finely balanced debate of the pros and cons of keeping or moving the guys.