Milwaukee Bucks: 5 veteran guards that could be trade targets

Milwaukee Bucks: 5 veteran guards that could be trade targets – Dennis Schröder

He may not be the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard that Bucks fans covet this offseason, but Dennis Schröder will certainly find his name among trade talks in the coming weeks and months.

The runner-up in this year’s Sixth Man of the Year voting, Schröder enjoyed a career year in terms of efficiency with the Thunder, averaging 18.9 points on .469/.385/.839 shooting splits, 4 assists and 3.6 rebounds over his 65 appearances for the 2019-20 season. Schröder’s 57.5 true shooting percentage stands as the highest mark in his seven-year career by a mile.

Now entering the final year of his four-year, $70 million contract, Schröder’s expiring $15.5 million salary could be enticing to further load up on their vast cupboard of draft assets they have stocked up on over the last year-plus. And from that perspective, the Bucks could easily maneuver a trade package centered around Bledsoe and some other filler from Oklahoma City’s perspective.

But some key questions have to be asked in even entertaining the prospect of swinging a deal for the 27-year-old.

For starters, the risk that comes with expecting Schröder’s production from this season being the norm and not the outlier only sets up the possibility for disappointment. Schröder has had plenty of opportunity to prove himself to be a starting-level point guard and possesses the tools to be one on paper, but the verdict may have come in on that front. Essentially, the question becomes whether Schröder is really that much of an upgrade over Bledsoe.

Secondly, there is the history with Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer dating back to their time in Atlanta, but that might not be a point in Schröder’s favor. After all, Schröder’s time in Atlanta ended rather unceremoniously as his final couple of years came with whispers over Schröder’s locker room presence as well as an off-the-court arrest for felony charges of aggravated battery.

Schröder has previously been linked to the Bucks and even went as so far as mentioning the Bucks as a possible landing spot when he was looking for his way out of Atlanta back in the spring of 2018 before eventually being dealt to Oklahoma City that summer.

But the questions over Schröder’s production, general fit next to Antetokounmpo, given his high-usage, and intangibles, something tells me the Bucks would rather look elsewhere than entertain bringing in the German international.