For weeks, the Milwaukee Bucks have been mentioned as a team doing everything it can to make a major move on the trade market, but nothing has happened. Why? Well, it's because no one is biting on the bait they are casting. Per NBA insider Jake Fischer (subscription required), they are struggling to generate any "difference-making conversations" with their current offers.
Bucks' asset well is officially running dry
It was bound to happen sooner or later. For years, the Milwaukee Bucks have taken big swings after big swings to keep this team in contention. Some of the moves have worked (Jrue Holiday, PJ Tucker), and others have not (Damian Lillard, Jae Crowder). All of those moves required depleting the asset stash further. It was always a "We'll deal with it later" problem. Well, it's officially later.
Now, the Milwaukee Bucks aren't completely empty. They do have a first-round pick they can trade in either 2031 or 2032. However, many of the names they've been linked to, such as Zach LaVine, Miles Bridges, and Jerami Grant, simply aren't worth coughing up that pick for. If the Bucks move either of them, they need a difference-maker. Yet, they don't have any other meaningful picks to offer.
It doesn't help that teams seem unimpressed by the players Milwaukee is offering, either. Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis Jr. are two names who continue to make the rounds. Though they are both decent players, their contracts extend for years beyond this season. In today's NBA, no one wants to commit to long-term money unless they are being compensated with draft capital.
For the first time in years, General Manager Jon Horst genuinely feels like he's caught between a rock and a hard place. Does he hold his first-round picks close and keep the future of the franchise in mind, or will he spend them on a move that many might call an overpay? Giannis Antetokounmpo's watchful eye will be locked on anything Horst does as rumors about his future in the 414 persist.
Horst has time. The NBA Trade Deadline isn't until February 5. He always seems to pull a rabbit out of a hat in situations like this one. He has a few more days to show the world that he still has his touch or that his magic has officially run out. The entire NBA is carefully watching his every move.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.