3 dark horse trade candidates for the Milwaukee Bucks before 2023 deadline

3 dark horse trade candidates for the Milwaukee Bucks before 2023 deadline – Gary Trent Jr., Toronto Raptors

Something could potentially be brewing in Toronto ahead of the trade deadline. Per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, numerous executives believe Toronto’s likeliest trade candidate is unanimously Gary Trent Jr. Those executives believe Trent will opt out of his contract after the season and seek a raise, and there is some “skepticism” that the Raptors would be willing to retain the two guard for more than $20 million. If the Raptors believe they may lose Trent after the season and try to move him, the Bucks should be persistent about making an offer.

Trent would check off several boxes for this Bucks team. First, he would bring a dynamic element to this offense. Over the last two years, the shooting guard has averaged 18.3 points per contest while hitting 37.7 percent of his 3-pointers on 7.6 attempts per game. Alongside Antetokounmpo, Middleton, and Holiday, having a complementary piece that can score and shoot like that would be just what the doctor ordered. Trent has never been known for his defense, but he has proven to be a pest on that side of things by averaging 1.7 steals per game in that same timeframe.

In addition to being a great player, Trent is young, and the Bucks need youth badly. Not only could the 23-year-old come in and immediately be Milwaukee’s starting two guard this season, but he could be the starting shooting guard of the future. The Bucks have cycled through a handful of names at the position over the years, but Trent could be the piece to give them some consistency for the foreseeable future.

Now, do the Raptors want to trade with the Bucks? Probably not in a perfect world. Yet, if Toronto wants to send Trent out rather than lose him for nothing, it could be on the table. Furthermore, it would be a chance for the Raptors to get a handful of the valuable assets the Bucks have left at their disposal. At $17.3 million, Trent would be the most expensive candidate on this list, and he would also cost them the most assets without question. However, if the Raptors are willing to entertain the possibility, the Bucks should be all over it.

In any deal, the Bucks would also have to consider their own financial issues when it comes to retaining Trent long-term, but there is no denying how well he would fit in with this core.

Stay tuned to see if any of these names surface as trade targets for the Milwaukee Bucks.