3 reasons the Milwaukee Bucks should avoid trading for Daniel Theis

Why the Milwaukee Bucks should avoid trading for Daniel Theis: His size

The Milwaukee Bucks waived DeMarcus Cousins before his contract became guaranteed, due in part to his poor 3-point shooting but also because Cousins was not a rim protector, which the Bucks are missing with Brook Lopez still sidelined. It was also largely due to how much more the Bucks would have had to pay him by converting his contract, but that is neither here nor there.

Daniel Theis is only 6-foot-8 and 245 pounds, very undersized for a center, and certainly too small to go against players like Joel Embiid who is currently carrying the 76ers, or Nikola Vucevic of the Chicago Bulls. Theis is smaller than current Bucks big man Bobby Portis who is 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds. Portis has improved as a defender but is still not the rim protector the Bucks need. That said, Portis still averages more blocks per game than Theis.

Simply put, Theis does not solve the Bucks’ lack of rim protection. Milwaukee needs a big body down low to protect the hoop while they await Lopez’s potential return from back surgery. Some potential targets that would make more sense than Theis in this regard include the 6-foot-10 Richaun Holmes, the 7-foot Mohamed Bamba, or the 6-foot-10 Serge Ibaka. Any of those three would provide more shot-blocking and rim protection than Theis, and they might simply just be better players as well. Financial issues may come up with those three as well, but any of those three would be more justifiable than Theis if the Bucks were all-in.

Theis just does not fit the mold of what the Bucks are looking for right now.