3 reasons the Milwaukee Bucks should pursue a Robert Covington trade

The Milwaukee Bucks need to fill the void left behind by P.J. Tucker’s departure

The Bucks deciding to let P.J. Tucker walk in free agency was a grave mistake. Not only is he having the most efficient shooting season of his career while playing hard-hitting defense, but he is doing so for one of Milwaukee’s biggest rivals in the Miami Heat this season. Tucker played such a crucial role for the Bucks en route to their title last season, and letting him go has come back to bite them in the early going this year. They have not managed to fill the void left following his departure, but trading for a player like Covington would help change that.

Tucker’s role throughout the playoffs revolved around guarding the opposing team’s best player to alleviate pressure off of Milwaukee’s other stars. In the second round against the Brooklyn Nets, Tucker pestered Kevin Durant for the entirety of games thanks to his physical defense. Having him proved to be a luxury during the latter rounds as well as the Bucks could throw Tucker at opposing players like Trae Young, Chris Paul, and Devin Booker to help slow them down.

The Bucks have had no luck this season replacing what Tucker provided. Semi Ojeleye is the player that most closely represents Tucker due to his hulking stature, but that free agent signing has not quite panned out. Ojeleye was always destined to be compared to Tucker, but no one should have expected him to just slide into Tucker’s role like nothing ever happened. Though Ojeleye could still redeem himself once he returns from a calf injury, trading for Covington would simply fill that role on impact. He would be the one guarding Durant or other household stars in the playoffs, and that would be massive for Milwaukee’s title chances, given his stature on that end.

Although this is just a hypothetical at the time of this writing, the Bucks should push all their chips to the center of the table and make a run at Convington before the deadline.