The latest Milwaukee Bucks trade rumors suggest the Minnesota Timberwolves are interested in Tony Snell, and that the Bucks still hold an interest in Ricky Rubio.
As the trade rumors start to accelerate ahead of the NBA deadline, the word seems to be that the Milwaukee Bucks are open for business. ESPN’s Zach Lowe described the Bucks as “doing their due diligence”, with all but four of their players said to be available if the right offer was to present itself.
Piecing together various reports, it seems that if there’s a team who the Bucks could have motivation to make a trade with, it may well be the neighboring Minnesota Timberwolves.
With recent reports suggesting that the teams mutually share an interest in each other’s players, it certainly seems like a situation worth monitoring in the coming days.
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The first mention of any reason for the two teams to potentially talk about deals came from Lowe, who revealed:
"“Minnesota has expressed a tepid interest in Tony Snell, who played under Tom Thibodeau in Chicago, sources say.”"
Snell has excelled since joining the Bucks in exchange for Michael Carter-Williams in a trade prior to the start of the season, but is set to hit the market as a free agent this summer. Importantly, Snell will be a restricted free agent, so there remains value in holding his rights going into the summer for any team with the intention of re-signing him.
It’s unclear as of yet whether the Bucks would be among that group, although with his performance in what has been a career year so far and the prospect of Jabari Parker missing most of next season, it would make sense for Milwaukee to at least assess his price.
As Lowe alluded to, there’s little surprising about Minnesota’s interest in Snell thanks to the connection between Thibodeau and Snell. The 25-year-old wing was drafted by a Thibodeau coached Bulls team, and played under the 59-year-old until he was fired by Chicago in 2015.
If the Bucks were to somehow be persuaded to deal Snell away, what could be the return?
According to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and 1500 ESPN, with Ricky Rubio widely expected to be traded in the coming days, he could be a player who fits Milwaukee’s eye.
Brian is very connected, & Rubio surely is available. Yet to hear of a deal being on the cusp. Bucks interesting team to monitor. #Twolves https://t.co/ljxxZxXeli
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) February 21, 2017
Of course, this isn’t the first time that the Bucks have been rumored to be pursuing Rubio. The trade deadline last year included similar rumors, which were said to have advanced to the point of serious discussions, but ultimately fell apart without a consensus in value.
At that time, Minnesota was said to be coveting Khris Middleton, which understandably led the Bucks to drop any further discussions.
If the Bucks are wary of what Snell’s price could rise to in free agency, perhaps the chance to cash in on a player who has long intrigued them would get a deal over the line. Saying that, with an $11 million difference between Snell and Rubio’s salary, there’d be a lot more left to work out before a deal could be finalized.
Milwaukee would also likely have to include one of John Henson, Matthew Dellavedova or Mirza Teletovic, and in that case would certainly be looking for something else of value to come back in return.
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Judgement on whether the move would make sense for Milwaukee is a debate for another time (and one I’ve personally weighed in on before), but for now the waiting game continues as the Bucks ponder moves.