Assessing The Athletic’s Larry Nance Jr. trade for the Milwaukee Bucks

With the 2022 NBA trade deadline coming up, fans have been placing their picks for players they would like to see the Milwaukee Bucks make a run at before February 10.

While players like Robert Covington, Mohamed Bamba, and Justin Holiday have been among the most common picks, one potential candidate that has flown under the radar is Larry Nance Jr. of the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers have been shrouded in trade speculation this year amidst a litany of injury issues that currently has them sitting at 10th place in the Western Conference with a 20-28 overall record. If Portland is looking to move some pieces around, Nance could be among the most compelling trade candidates, and there would be no shortage of teams looking to make a run at him in that case. Perhaps the Bucks could be one.

If the Bucks were interested in acquiring the 29-year-old, The Athletic’s Eric Nehm (subscription required), proposed a deal that would help them do so.

The Athletic’s proposed Larry Nance Jr. trade for the Milwaukee Bucks

As is the case with all trade targets, the biggest challenge for the Bucks is matching salaries for any player that makes a significant amount of money. Nance is on the books for $10.7 million this year and $9.7 million next year, meaning the combined salaries of Donte DiVincenzo ($4 million), George Hill ($4 million), and Rodney Hood ($2.2 million) would be enough to match.

This would certainly be an interesting deal for both teams to consider, and let us take a closer look at it with a breakdown of the logic, lunacy, and the overall verdict on the proposed move.