3 trades to help the Milwaukee Bucks land another center
By Dalton Sell
The Milwaukee Bucks currently find themselves in quite the bind at the center position.
Big man Brook Lopez has been sidelined in all but one game this season with back soreness, and he will not be back for the foreseeable future after undergoing a back procedure. Losing him has obviously been a significant blow for the defending champs as they have had to navigate around his absence, trying to fill the void on both ends of the floor. The Bucks have managed to get by thanks to Bobby Portis filling in and playing the best basketball of his career as a full-time starter this season. Unfortunately, Portis will now be out of the lineup for an unknown period of time after recently entering the league’s health and safety protocols.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ troubles at the center position continue to grow
With both Lopez and Portis set to miss time, the Bucks are thin at the center position. Typically, they could play Giannis Antetokounmpo at center for a few games, but he is also not available to play as he is in the protocols. That leaves Milwaukee with DeMarcus Cousins and rookie big man Sandro Mamukelashvili as the lone two true centers available. That could spell trouble for them over the next few weeks or potentially longer, which could prompt the front office to scour the trade market for some potential reinforcements.
A sizeable portion of the NBA became trade eligible on December 15, which will give teams more freedom to make moves. Although the flood gates have not quite opened just yet with trades, the Bucks could get things started by looking around for someone to fill their center vacancy. With all that being said, here are three trade packages that would help the Bucks land a big man to fix their center issues momentarily.