As the trade deadline gets closer and closer and closer (and closer), the anticipation mounts from Milwaukee Bucks fans as to what they’ll do to improve the roster and make their final tweaks to repeat as champs.
There have already been a pair of notable trades ahead of the deadline and, as much as we’d all love a blockbuster to analyze, the Bucks don’t really have the assets to pull that off. It’s part of the reason why you can likely expect a quiet deadline from them.
Regardless! They still have tradeable assets… it just depends on how good you think those assets are. Obviously, I won’t be including Giannis Antetokounmpo or Khris Middleton. Those aren’t assets that will be traded.
So, what kind of change can general manager Jon Horst come up with when he’s digging in those couch cushions?
Ranking Milwaukee Bucks trade assets – #5: Semi Ojeleye
I try to pride myself on being able to admit when I’m wrong. Sure, I’ll celebrate my hits, but you look like a jerk if that’s all you acknowledge. I don’t want to be a jerk!
I was very, very wrong about the impact that Semi Ojeleye would have on the Bucks this season. Like so, so wrong.
Before the season I said that he could be the X-Factor for the defending champs this season! That hasn’t happened whatsoever!
Instead, Ojeleye is so far out of the rotation that he didn’t play a single second in garbage time against the Los Angeles Clippers. He’s averaging 2.9 points on 37.6 percent true shooting (in case you’re wondering, that’s not good), 2.9 rebounds, and has the same total number of assists, steals, and blocks (five).
His contract is for the minimum and expires at the end of the season, so he’s a buyout candidate at the very least but if they can find a way to sneak him into a trade to clear a roster spot or fill out some salary, then that’s even better.
I do feel bad for Ojeleye, though. He didn’t want to struggle like this and he’s dealt with injuries and illness throughout the season. I hope he can find a home if/when his Bucks tenure comes to a close.
Ranking Milwaukee Bucks trade assets – #4: Rodney Hood
I wasn’t as wrong about Rodney Hood as I was about Ojeleye. I thought there was some upside with how he’d shot the ball in the past, but that he’d struggled since suffering an awful Achilles injury.
Well, he sure has struggled!
Admittedly there isn’t a huge gap between Ojeleye and Hood in terms of their value. Ojeleye has the defensive upside and Hood can score the ball, sort of. He’s shooting 44 percent on 2-point attempts but under 31 percent on 3s.
It’s not saying much, but he’s been more likely to get minutes off the bench than Ojeleye has been as head coach Mike Budenholzer looks for spacing around Antetokounmpo. However, his spacing has been more theoretical than actual, which means he doesn’t have a ton of trade value either.
But hey, he’s averaging almost 15 minutes a night in his 38 games played! Sure, part of that is because the Bucks haven’t been able to field a full roster very often this season, but Budenholzer trusts him enough, I guess!
His cap hit is similar to Ojeleye’s and also expires at the end of the season. He’s another option to be cut if they want an extra roster spot for a buyout market player (*cough* Thaddeus Young *cough*) but can also be added to a trade to help match salaries.
Hood and Ojeleye don’t seem like bad guys and it looks like their teammates get along with them. It just hasn’t worked out in their short time with the Bucks so far and I’d be surprised if either of them were on the team beyond the buyout market, whether that be a trade or being released to open a spot up.
Ranking Milwaukee Bucks trade assets – #3: Draft picks
It’s bad enough being ranked behind draft picks if you’re Hood and Ojeleye, but it’s even worse when you realize the Bucks basically can’t move a first round pick!
Going out to 2028, the Bucks have six second rounders with only one being from another team (Indiana’s in 2025). Second round picks don’t sound terribly appetizing, especially coming from a team that will expect to be at the bottom of the draft for all of those years in a perfect world.
That should tell you how bad the Bucks assets are that these picks are likely their third-best asset. If you’re a team that’s selling, you’d rather take your chances gambling on a couple of second round picks and getting the chance to hit on a potential rotation guy than you would with veterans like Hood and Ojeleye.
The primary function of these picks would be as small, small sweeteners, and hope that’s enough to entice a team to take their limited package.
Hey, I did say these assets were basically like digging for change in between couch cushions. You should have seen this coming.
Ranking Milwaukee Bucks trade assets – #2: Jordan Nwora
There will be those who have Jordan Nwora behind the limited draft picks and hey, I can’t blame you! But if you’ve read my stuff at all, you’ll know that I’m still a believer in Nwora as a future rotation player so I have him as their second-best asset.
Maybe we’ll have to add my belief in Nwora to my list of wrong takes, but if I was an opposing GM of a bad team, I’d be very interested in taking a shot on Nwora as part of a trade package.
The second-year wing is averaging 8.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 41 games this season and 19.3 minutes per night.
At full strength, the Bucks have no need for Nwora in their rotation and he has struggled to find his role when he’s not being relied on to score at will like he does when the Bucks are missing bodies.
The hope, if you’re the Bucks, is that you find a GM who shares my sentiments about Nwora and his potential. You see the self-creation flashes, you see the shot-making ability, and you think that if you can help him refine his game in other areas (he’s only 23!) then you have a solid offense-first rotation piece that can get you points in bunches.
Is it likely that they’ll find that GM? I can’t say, but Nwora won’t get moved unless they do.
Ranking Milwaukee Bucks trade assets – #1: Donte DiVincenzo
This, uh, wasn’t a difficult decision. Donte DiVincenzo is like an actual, real trade asset that has value around the league. He has his detractors, but DiVincenzo has real trade value and we saw that when he was the centerpiece of the near-trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Since then, he had a fantastic third season where he cemented himself as a valuable starting guard but has been inconsistent coming back from ankle surgery this season. You’re beginning to see him start to find his game again, though, and you can bet the Bucks have seen that too (as well as other GMs).
I believe that the Bucks do value DiVincenzo and want him on the team long-term unless they can get a real upgrade at a position of need for him. That’s how you negotiate from a position of strength, as well.
If they were a bit sour on DiVincenzo and weren’t sure if he fits into their long-term plans, they may sell a little lower on him than what they could actually get in return.
But since they’re more than content to keep him (and even extend him this offseason), it will be interesting to see if he gets moved. It appeared likely that we would see a DiVincenzo trade at the deadline, but as more intel comes through, we’re finding out that — unless they’re blown away — he’ll be a Buck past the trade deadline, and perhaps longer than that.
As a resident DiVincenzo truther, this appeals to me and I’d like to see him succeed with the Bucks in the playoffs this time around.
The Bucks may not have a ton of assets, but it will still be a fun deadline to see if any of the aforementioned assets can fetch something worthwhile.