As the trade deadline nears, the Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly among the teams interested in Memphis Grizzlies wing Tyreke Evans.
With just over a week until the NBA’s trade deadline, it’s no secret that the Milwaukee Bucks are likely going to be in the market for deals.
The team notably lacks depth at center and it would seem logical for them to add a rotation big man at the very least as they prepare for the final stretch of the season.
A rumor that emerged on Wednesday night suggests the Bucks may also be exploring less obvious ways of improving their roster too, though.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Milwaukee is among a number of teams interested in the services of in-demand Memphis Grizzlies wing Tyreke Evans.
"“Teams chasing the playoffs in the East (Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Boston) and the West (Denver and New Orleans) are among those expressing interest in acquiring Evans, league sources said.”"
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Evans surprisingly struggled to find suitors at any kind of meaningful price as a free agent last summer, and since signing a one-year, $3.3 million deal with the Grizzlies, he has gone on to play some of the best basketball of his career to date.
For the season, Evans is averaging 19.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.0 steals, while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from deep. Wojnarowski reports that the Grizzlies plan to sit Evans out “until a deal is completed”, as interest in the 28-year-old soars.
That’s to be expected considering Evans’ stellar play and cheap contract, as he makes not just an appealing trade target for contenders, but a realistic and achievable one for some of the league’s more cap space-challenged franchises too.
The Bucks would certainly fall into that category, but the price reportedly being sought by the Grizzlies would seem problematic. According to Wojnarowski:
"“The Grizzlies are shopping Evans to try to bring back a first-round draft pick, league sources said, and discussions with several playoff-contending teams have intensified in the past 24 hours.”"
Due to the protections on the first round pick traded as part of the deal that brought Eric Bledsoe from Phoenix, and the NBA rules prohibiting teams from trading first round picks in consecutive years, the Bucks are currently unable to trade a first rounder in any kind of straightforward way. If they were to find a way to move such a pick to complete a deal, it would have to be accompanied with similarly convoluted protections.
Furthermore, any kind of significant future asset like a pick would be a costly fee for Evans when he’s set to command a much greater price in the summer than the Bucks could currently afford.
It’s certainly easy to point to Milwaukee’s struggling bench unit and identify Evans as something akin to a dream solution to that problem, but with Jabari Parker set to return on Friday, it may not even be necessary.
If the Bucks can get Evans at a reasonable price, a second unit built around him, Parker and Malcolm Brogdon could perfectly complement Milwaukee’s talented starters and cause opponents a lot of problems heading into the post-season. Make no mistake, though, giving up any significant asset for Evans would be Milwaukee’s most obvious win-now move to date, and considering their current circumstances that would probably be unwise.
Those looking for further reasons as to why Milwaukee may hold interest in Evans should probably look no further than to the man himself. Following a Bucks win over Evans’ then Sacramento Kings team late last season, the former Memphis Tiger compared himself to Milwaukee’s star man Giannis Antetokounmpo.
As relayed by Kristian Winfield of SB Nation, Evans said:
"“I mean, he’s like me but he’s 6’7 … or 6’8, whatever height he is. He’s just long and athletic. He gets to wherever he wants to go. He’s got good handle for his size, and he’s athletic, and once he gets around the rim, he can finish.”"
Luckily for Evans, he’s better at playing basketball than he is at estimating heights.
Next: Milwaukee Bucks: Trade season, why Jabari Parker is key to championship hopes
As rumors continue to swirl in the coming days, be sure to keep an eye on Evans as a potential Bucks target, even though Milwaukee’s rivals will likely have the assets required to put together a stronger package.