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Milwaukee Bucks reportedly on Anthony Davis’ wish list for trade destinations

ByJordan Treske|
NEW ORLEANS, LA - FEBRUARY 16: Giannis Anetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans poses for a portrait during the 2017 All-Star Media Circuit at the Ritz Carlton in New Orleans, LA. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - FEBRUARY 16: Giannis Anetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans poses for a portrait during the 2017 All-Star Media Circuit at the Ritz Carlton in New Orleans, LA. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

According to numerous reports, the Milwaukee Bucks are one of four teams that New Orleans Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis is willing to sign with long-term in the wake of his trade request.

The Anthony Davis trade saga has swept the NBA by storm over the last week and it appears the door is open for the Milwaukee Bucks to enter the proceedings in light of some new developments reported Monday afternoon.

First reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the New Orleans Pelicans superstar informed the organization of his extended list of preferred destinations where he’d be willing to sign-long term, which includes the Bucks.

Moments later, The Athletic’s Shams Charania corroborated Woj’s report, not that it needed confirmation, of course.

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That sent off a flurry of reactions from an elated Bucks fanbase, who are riding high with the team holding the best record in all of the NBA at 38-13.

But as Wojnarowski added on his initial report, there are multiple hurdles for why it still remains highly unlikely the Bucks can present a competitive offer against some of the teams that have been frequently mentioned as a destination for the 25-year-old superstar.

For starters, the Bucks have two of their upcoming first round draft picks tied up in previous trades, the first being used to acquire Eric Bledsoe from the Phoenix Suns and the second being dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers that offloaded both Matthew Dellavedova and John Henson.

Secondly, all four of the Bucks’ starters outside of superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo are pending unrestricted free agents.

That leaves the crop of veteran reserves such as Ersan Ilyasova and Tony Snell as well as the up and coming pieces like Sterling Brown, Donte DiVincenzo and D.J. Wilson all under contract beyond this season that would stand as potential trade assets for the Bucks.

As a result, the sentiment recently shared by my co-site expert, Adam McGee, on the subject of any Bucks’ interest in Davis likely remains true. Milwaukee doesn’t have the assets to compete with the other offers likely to be on the table for the Pelicans, but that shouldn’t prevent them from making their best offer and seeing how the cards fall.

It’s worth noting from Wojnarowski’s report that the Bucks have yet to make an offer, which is something that you’d expect will change following news of Davis’ interest in Milwaukee.

Regardless, even as an Anthony Davis deal may be the ultimate long-shot for the Bucks, the fact that their name has surfaced in a discussion like this is evidence of the phenomenal progress the team is making, and the appeal that a superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo has among his peers.

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