No way around it, the Milwaukee Bucks need to clear roster space. Ideally, they would do so in a way that allows them to prioritize talent and roster fit, but financial concerns may prevent that from happening.
If it worked, replicating a recent salary dump between the Nets and Hawks would be the perfect fix to Milwaukee's problems. In the trade, Atlanta sent Kobe Bufkin and his $5.4 million salary to Brooklyn without including draft capital or other sweeteners. In exchange for Bufkin, the Hawks received cash considerations. That's it. Money off Atlanta's books, roster spot cleared.
At first glance, exploring something similar seems like a no-brainer. Bucks fans shouldn't get excited, though. For a variety of reasons, that dream scenario is likely not in play right now.
Bucks contract situation has them in a bind
The Bucks are already prepared to waive Andre Jackson Jr., but they need to cut a second player under contract to get down to 15 names on the roster if they plan on keeping Amir Coffey.
Parting ways with, say, Gary Harris would be preferable to losing out on Amir Coffey or saying goodbye to Tyler Smith's potential. Although the Harris addition seems stranger by the day, simply waiving him isn't a tenable solution. With around $115 million in dead money on the payroll, Milwaukee isn't in a position to take on more.
If the Nets would play ball, perhaps the Bucks could pull off something with Harris like Atlanta did with Bufkin. Unfortunately, they can't. As a recent signing, Harris can't be moved until December 15. The same goes for Chris Livingston, whom the Bucks oddly re-signed to a one-year guaranteed contract. Obviously, the Milwaukee Bucks must address the roster crunch by opening night.
As it is, the only reasonable dumping candidate is Smith. Kyle Kuzma's salary is too big, and he isn't an expiring contract. The Bucks should try to get something for him if they do indeed move him. Giannis Antetokounmpo and AJ Green are the only other players who have been under contract long enough to be legally traded before December 15.
The Bucks' contract situation continues to haunt them, seemingly closing all possible escape routes.
The Nets likely can't help the Bucks now, but could they swing a deal later? Perhaps, but it doesn't seem that way. Inscrutable as it is, Brooklyn's motive in the deal, suggested NBA insider Jake Fischer, could derive from either of two possibilities. One, the Nets could be trying to make sure they reach the NBA's payroll floor (90 percent of the salary cap). Bufkin's salary gets them that much closer.
Or, two, they could simply be building good standing with another front office for future moves.
A former first-round pick bordering on a bust, Bufkin is not likely to provide future trade value, ruling out another possible explanation.
Under new NBA rules, teams have to reach the salary floor by opening night, not the end of the season as before. The second motive above, at least, could apply to the Bucks, though it does not relieve their immediate issue of overcrowding. More so than in the present, Brooklyn could be a trade partner down the road if the Bucks have a target in mind, need to make roster room, and the Nets are still open to blindly absorbing salary.
At that point, though, they will likely need compensation to do so - something more than cash considerations.