Milwaukee Bucks: Travis Trice likely set for key role with Wisconsin Herd
By Adam McGee
Travis Trice will battle it out with the Milwaukee Bucks in training camp, but will likely become a key contributor for the Wisconsin Herd next season.
Joining the likes of Shabazz Muhammad, Christian Wood, Jordan Barnett and Brandon McCoy on training camp deals with the Milwaukee Bucks, Travis Trice will rightfully have ambitions of winning a spot on the team’s NBA roster heading into the season.
News of a deal that was finalized on Thursday likely pointed to a much more realistic scenario for how Trice’s 2018-19 season may play out, though.
Following the G League’s expansion draft, the Wisconsin Herd completed a three-team deal to acquire Trice’s rights from the Westchester Knicks, sending the rights of Josh Davis to the Capital City Go-Go. Davis’ rights were acquired by the Herd in their own expansion draft 12 months ago, and he never suited up for the team.
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In spite of his current status as a Milwaukee Bucks player, Trice’s G League rights were owned by the Knicks, dating back to his two previous spells at the minor league level.
That situation should sound familiar to fans of the Bucks and Herd, as it’s very similar to how the Oshkosh-based team landed their star player last season. Xavier Munford was signed by the Bucks to a training camp deal, before ending up as the Herd’s leading light following a trade for his rights with the Greensboro Swarm.
If the hope is that Trice can kick on in a similar fashion to Munford, his résumé certainly offers cause for encouragement.
Since going undrafted out of Michigan State in 2015, Trice has had spells overseas in Australia and Lebanon, while also showing his pedigree at the same G League level that he’ll likely be tasked with playing at next season.
Trice averaged 15.3 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 34 minutes per game in 70 games with Westchester in the 2015-16 season, while in just a nine-game spell with the same team in 2016-17, averaging 21.1 points and 6.4 assists per game.
Combined with a solid Summer League showing with the Bucks where Trice averaged 8.8 points, 4.0 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game, his second consecutive tournament in Vegas with the franchise, there’s plenty of evidence to suggest Trice could be a steady, high level presence under Jordan Brady’s guidance with the Herd.
His added experience could certainly be a positive too, as the Bucks have invested in young, high upside players on two-way deals, and Trevon Duval and Jaylen Morris may well benefit from having more of a veteran presence like Trice to help take some of the pressure off their shoulders.
Beyond that, with a relationship that has now been gradually developing for over 12 months, it’s clear the Bucks have a high opinion of Trice.
At just 25 years old, Trice still has an opportunity to prove he could contribute in the NBA, and a strong season with the Herd may create opportunities for him when 10-day contract season comes around too.
Having lost players like James Blackmon Jr., Cliff Alexander, and, in all likelihood, Munford, adding a veteran of Trice’s caliber could be vital for the Herd’s prospects in their second season in existence, but it may ultimately prove to be just as beneficial to the player too.