Assessing a Milwaukee Bucks’ trade package for Daniel Theis
By Dalton Sell
The lunacy behind this proposed Daniel Theis trade for the Milwaukee Bucks
There is a reason why Theis is not the highest player on most proposed trade target lists for the Bucks. One reason for that is his rather subpar play this season that has caused him to fall out of Houston’s regular season rotation. Another is how exactly he would fit with the Bucks as they aim to stay afloat without Lopez, which our own Tyler Schickert recently detailed:
"“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.”"
Schickert certainly has a point, as Theis is undersized at the center position and would not bring that rim-protection the Bucks need. While his defense would be a questionable fit with this unit, his hypothetical fit offensively also raises some level of concern. The big man is a 32.7 percent shooter from 3-point range for his career, doing most of his damage comes in the interior. That would be problematic for the Bucks, as they tend to target frontcourt players that can let it fly from deep to better space the floor for Giannis Antetokounmpo and others – see Bobby Portis.
Given how Theis has played this season, the Bucks would also be unwise to take on what remains of the center’s lucrative four-year contract worth $35.6 million. As Schickert points out, adding a contract like that to the books would limit Milwaukee’s financial flexibility over the next few years, and they would certainly rather keep their options open.
Theis does not quite fit with what the Milwaukee Bucks need on the floor right now, and his contract is only more reason to be hesitant about trading for him.