The 2022 NBA offseason has been a relatively quiet one for the Milwaukee Bucks thus far.
Within the first hour of free agency, the front office was busy as they managed to re-sign several key players in Bobby Portis, Jevon Carter, and Wesley Matthews while also bringing in Joe Ingles. Aside from that one hour, it has been radio silence on Milwaukee’s end, but given general manager Jon Horst’s track record, he is likely not done tinkering with the roster. While the Bucks do not have the most financial flexibility at the moment, Horst could look to improve his team through trades, as there are several compelling names that would be worthwhile targets. With all that being said, here are five trades to help the Milwaukee Bucks strengthen their roster.
NBA Trades: The Milwaukee Bucks could pursue a move for Rudy Gay
The Utah Jazz have been busy lately as they have traded away two starters within the last week. The first was Royce O’Neale, who was sent to the Brooklyn Nets, but the bigger domino was their decision to trade Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a significant haul of draft picks and players. If Utah is looking to move more pieces and retool, the Milwaukee Bucks should make an offer for Rudy Gay, as the veteran forward could help patch several of the holes on their roster.
Gay has made a living in the league over the past 16 years as a scorer, having averaged a quality 16.3 points per game in that timeframe. Although the forward had his least productive season to date in 2021-22, having averaged single-digit points for the first time in his career, that could be attributed to him playing a career-low in minutes as well. With proper minutes, Gay could provide second unit scoring, which is exactly what the Bucks need. Per NBA.com.stats, Milwaukee’s bench ranked 27th in bench points per game during the 2021-22 regular season, which proved to be a notable flaw in the postseason. As they look to eliminate that issue, adding a reputable scorer like Gay could undoubtedly help the cause.
Versatility is another factor that should make Gay a desirable target for Milwaukee, considering they also lacked that this past season. Standing at 6-foot-8, 250lbs, Gay is capable of playing either forward position, and he could be the answer to Milwaukee’s current predicament at the power forward position. The roster lacked a small ball four heading into the playoffs, which took away their ability to truly be at their best when Mike Budenholzer put Giannis Antetokounmpo at center. Though the Bucks did add a power forward in Joe Ingles that could hypothetically play this role, he is coming off ACL surgery and will likely not be ready until early 2023. In the meantime, Gay could fill in and line up next to Antetokounmpo when the Bucks go to these lineups, providing more scoring and quality rebounding.
As for the trade package itself, it is a simple one. To match Gay’s $6.2 million salary for next year, the Bucks could include George Hill and Rayjon Tucker. Hill will be on the books for $4 million for the 2022-23 season, while Tucker is currently on a non-guaranteed deal worth $1.8 million. The Bucks would have to add a second round pick in here as a sweetener, as it seems like the Jazz are collecting picks lately. To get a player like Gay that would immediately make the Bucks better, it is a worthy package to consider.