With the 2022 NBA trade deadline less than a month away, fans have fired up the trade machine to try and find ways to help the Milwaukee Bucks improve their roster. While a new backup point guard would certainly be nice, one area that clearly needs tending to is the frontcourt, where the defending champs have been decimated this season, particularly down low.
These issues stem from the absence of Brook Lopez, Milwaukee’s usual starting center. Lopez has missed every game aside from the season opener this year due to back soreness, which persisted enough that he underwent a procedure back in early December. The Bucks are holding out hope he will be cleared to return at some point down the line this season, but it is hard to speculate when it comes to back injuries, particularly with 7-foot, 282lb centers.
How the Milwaukee Bucks have survived without Brook Lopez this season and what their next steps might be
The Bucks are quite lucky that Bobby Portis has embraced this city and the fanbase so dearly that he was willing to take another pay cut to return this season. The big man has assumed duties as a full-time starter in Lopez’s absence, having played the best basketball of his career to this point as he has been a lifeline for the champs.
With Portis in the starting lineup, the Bucks made the wise decision to sign DeMarcus Cousins off the free agent market to replace him as the backup. Cousins played great for Milwaukee during his 17-game stay, but when it came time to decide whether or not to guarantee his contract, the front office shockingly waived the big man, which caused immediate controversy. Since then, the bench has clearly suffered from a lack of size, as rookie Sandro Mamukelashvili has seen a more sizeable opportunity, and he is not ready to be a consistent rotational player.
If these frontcourt issues persist, the Bucks should be in the market for some size before the trade deadline next month. With all that being said, let us look at three possible targets that they should make a run at before February 10.