Where do the Milwaukee Bucks’ rivals stand going into the deadline?
While everything is generally quiet for Milwaukee, the same doesn’t apply to some of their biggest rivals that also aspire to make it out of the East.
Easily the biggest development going on is how the reported Kyle Lowry sweepstakes will impact the race in the East as both the Miami Heat and the Phialdelphia 76ers are squarely in the hunt for the veteran guard as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported. Toronto’s ongoing slide this season has certainly greased the wheels for Lowry to be dealt, but will either meet the asking price the Raptors have set in return?
As Woj noted, we can also count veteran Raptors wing Norman Powell in the mix to get dealt ahead of his looming pay day in free agency this summer, who is also drawing interest from Philadelphia.
From there, are there any other players reportedly on the block that can determine the outcome of the race for who comes out of the East? Per Matt Moore of The Action Network, the Boston Celtics are reportedly a frontrunner for Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon, but they have a lot of issues to iron out in what’s been an incredibly underwhelming season.
Along with Lowry, Miami continues to be linked to veteran guard Victor Oladipo and have been regularly been referred to as the landing spot for LaMarcus Aldridge, especially if he gets bought out.
Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets continue to assemble as much as talent as they can get, even after the acquiring James Harden and getting Blake Griffin on the buyout market earlier this season. And they continue to be linked to Andre Drummond as his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers is nearing its end in some fashion.
Milwaukee can’t control what their direct competition in the East will do over the remaining hours before the trade deadline. But what any of the 76ers, Heat and Nets do moving forward will have ripple effects as far as the Bucks’ pursuit to make it out of the East is considered.