Milwaukee Bucks: 3 possible trade targets from Northwest Division
By Dalton Sell
Milwaukee Bucks: 3 possible trade targets from Northwest Division – Dennis Schroder, Oklahoma City Thunder
The Bucks have gotten linked to the Oklahoma City Thunder in trade speculation since their early postseason departure, but not because of Dennis Schroder. However, with the team in the market for a guard, maybe they could shift their focus to him.
In his second season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Schroder put together one of his best career outings, averaging 18.9 points on .469/.385/.839 shooting splits, 4.0 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game. Schroder came off the bench in 63 of his 65 games this season and finished as the runner-up in this year’s Sixth Man of the Year voting for his efforts and productivity.
Recently, there have been some subtle hints that the Thunder might enter a full-on rebuild and shop pieces on their roster to collect assets. If that is the case and Schroder is on the table, he could be a viable trade target for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks will scour the market for playmaking and shooting this offseason, and Schroder checks off both boxes. The 27-year-old is also on the books for just $15.5 million for next season before becoming a free agent, making his contract easy to absorb.
Heightening the speculation, Schroder also mentioned the Milwaukee Bucks as a potential trade destination he could imagine playing for back in 2018, saying that “the organization is going in the right direction.” Milwaukee has had the best regular season record in consecutive seasons since those comments, and perhaps that interest could still be there.
However, Schroder’s comments came before the organization hired current head coach Mike Budenholzer, with whom the guard has a history with. Schroder played under Budenholzer in Atlanta, and the tandem’s relationship did not end on the best terms when Schroder got traded to Oklahoma City in 2018.
Whether some hard feelings are looming there or not, Dennis Schroder could be a viable trade target for the Bucks.