According to a report from The Ringer, the Milwaukee Bucks are among the teams interested in veteran San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills.
The NBA rumor mill keeps churning on with each passing day, especially as the hot stove heats up.
The Milwaukee Bucks have steadily been in the mix as they explore any and all avenues to reshape their roster going into a pivotal 2020-21 NBA season. One such option could come from deep within the heart of Texas.
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According to a recent report from The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, the Bucks, along with the Philadelphia 76ers, are among the teams interested in San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills, whom the Spurs have been shopping per O’Connor’s sources:
"“The Spurs are up to something. League sources say they’re shopping point guard Patty Mills, with teams such as the Bucks and Sixers expressing interest.”"
Given the context of O’Connor’s reporting, the Spurs stand in an intriguing spot as they appear to be embracing their rebuild after years and years of winning and contending for titles. And as O’Connor also noted, the Spurs have a number of veterans on solid to high-priced expiring deals that could be of interest to a number of teams around the league, including Mills.
The fact that the Milwaukee Bucks are among the reported teams interested in Patty Mills should come as no surprise.
Heading into the final year of his four-year, $48 million deal, Mills’ expiring $13.2 million salary is certainly more digestible than some of the trade candidates they’ve been previously linked to in reports.
On top of that, Mills provides some of the very qualities the Bucks are in desperate need of as their latest disappointing playoff finish showed in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Miami Heat. The Aussie speedster is coming off a year in which he averaged 11.6 points on .431/.382/.866 shooting splits, 1.8 assists, 1.6 rebounds and 0.8 steals across 66 appearances, one of which came in a start.
Even as Mills’ role with the Spurs has steadily dwindled as they have slipped out of the contending picture in the West, Mills’ scoring spark and steady 3-point shooting skills will be of use to any contending team, much less the Bucks.
Of course, the question now becomes what do the Bucks have to offer that would be of interest San Antonio, especially as the Western Conference appears to be as loaded as it is every year.
O’Connor noted in his report that the Bucks have shopped starting point guard Eric Bledsoe around the league and he’s owed at least $38.9 million over the next three seasons, though the final year of his deal is partially guaranteed. A Bledsoe for Mills swap works logistically, provided the Spurs add a little filler, but is that enough to get a deal done?
In any event, the Bucks are obviously in need of help at the point guard spot and Mills is among the veteran contributors who fit the Bucks’ needs. Whether they have assets and pieces to get a potential deal done for the 32-year-old is another question entirely.