The NBA had one wild weekend with some huge trades dropping on the unknowing basketball lovers of social media. Superstar Luka Doncic was the first on the move to the Los Angeles Lakers, which shocked everyone to the point of believing the report was fake. Now, another key cog in the trade market is on the move, making it difficult for the Milwaukee Bucks to upgrade their current roster.
ESPN insider Shams Charania reported on a three-team trade on Sunday night involving the San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings. The key pieces on the move were De'Aaron Fox and Bucks target Zach LaVine. With LaVine now heading to Sacramento, it takes away one of the potential players the Bucks could acquire in a Khris Middleton deal, making the pool even smaller.
Zach LaVine trade means the Bucks have to shop elsewhere
Whether Zach LaVine is an upgrade over Middleton is very much up to each individual's opinion, with both players not having the best of luck with injury, also making it a risky trade regardless of the size of the deal.
Another one of the Bucks' rumored targets in Jimmy Butler is reportedly looking at where he would sign an extension next as part of any potential move. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported he would be unwilling to sign an extension with the Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies, potentially a blockade that general manager Jon Horst and the front office don't want to tackle.
Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal is another player involved in all sorts of league chatter, with him being named in a potential deal for Butler. Beal has not had a great season in Phoenix, and neither has the team. Even worse is his huge $50 million contract for this season and status of being under contract for two more years after. Financially, it would be a gigantic risk, and again, is he much better than Khris Middleton? It's surely up for debate.
One deal that has been suggested by certain outlets is Middleton being exchanged for Jerami Grant of the Portland Trail Blazers. Grant is still just 30 and under contract until 2026-27 with a player option for the following season.
The 6-foot-7 Grant has played with Damian Lillard before and thrived alongside him as a small and power forward. He also doesn't fit with the Trail Blazers' current trajectory, with a large number of young pieces eating up most of the playing time as they look to rebuild and find their identity for the coming years.
Whether Grant is a move the Bucks would consider is yet to be reported by any insider; it is just a trade suggestion regarding a player with a similar impact and salary to that of Middleton. If that is not of interest, the next few days may be a case of the Milwaukee Bucks holding onto Middleton as part of the bench and looking at moving another piece of their roster to shake things up.
One thing is for certain, which is this NBA season: anything can happen without any notice, so we could be having very different conversations by the end of the week. With LaVine off the board, the Milwaukee Bucks are not out of options entirely, but the pool is shrinking.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks news and analysis.