Trade season is here, and the Milwaukee Bucks are bound to make a move in the coming weeks.
The Bucks have been linked to a few names thus far, including Immanuel Quickley. According to HoopsHype, the Bucks are among a handful of teams to show interest in the New York Knicks guard this season. Quickley was an easily justifiable target for the Bucks, but it seems like they must now look elsewhere. Per NBA insider Marc Stein (Subscription required) while Quickley has generated plenty of interest, the Knicks are “increasingly reluctant” to part ways with him. SNY’s Ian Begley added that the Knicks are not seeking offers on the guard at this time. Amid a red-hot stretch lately, all signs point to Quickley staying in the Big Apple moving forward.
Milwaukee Bucks’ target Immanuel Quickley may be off the table in trade talks
Whether Milwaukee’s interest in Quickley was merely exploratory or they made a strong push to get him, it was justified. With Khris Middleton missing a good chunk of the season due to injuries, this team has suffered offensively, to put it lightly. This team desperately needs someone to be a sparkplug, and Quickley could have been exactly that. The guard is currently averaging 12.3 points per game this season, which is a new career best. He could have provided instant offense, but the 23-year-old seems destined to stay in New York beyond the February 9 NBA trade deadline.
If Quickley is indeed bound to stay with the Knicks for the remainder of the season, the Bucks will have to look elsewhere to improve their roster. If they are looking to improve offensively, a target that most fans will point to now is Bojan Bogdanovic. According to Action Network’s Matt Moore, the Bucks could look to bid on the veteran ahead of the trade deadline. The Detroit Pistons have seemingly been listening to offers on Bogdanovic for months, and the Bucks should legitimately consider adding the power forward to improve their offense even if it costs them quite a bit.
If the Pistons decide to hang onto Bogdanovic or the Bucks deem their asking price for him to be too steep, perhaps another option could be Derrick Rose. The guard has been on the sidelines for quite some time after being booted from New York’s rotation, and Stein said in his report that the Knicks want to “do right by” Rose. That indicates that the Knicks will work with Rose to find him a new home via trade, and the Bucks could make sense for both parties. Milwaukee needs a player who can generate offense off of the bench, and Rose could do just that.
Bogdanovic and Rose are just two options for Milwaukee, as there are certainly more out there. This team needs a significant boost, and all signs point to it not coming from Immanuel Quickley, barring a major change.
Stay tuned to see what Milwaukee’s front office has up its sleeve in the coming weeks leading up to the trade deadline.