There's been chatter that the Milwaukee Bucks have trade interest in Zach LaVine, and The Athletic writer Sam Amick (subscription required) recently confirmed that. Per Amick, the Bucks have done "recent" due diligence on LaVine, currently playing for the Sacramento Kings. While he could be of use to this team, the Bucks need a legitimate small forward above all else.
Bucks looking at the wrong target to solve prominent issue
Milwaukee's small forward rotation this season has been a big weak spot. AJ Green and Gary Trent Jr. have taken turns occupying the starting slot. Taurean Prince has been limited to eight contests and has no clear timetable to return from surgery. The Amir Coffey signing, initially destined to succeed, has been a dud. The Bucks need a trade to beef up their small forward rotation.
LaVine isn't helping that situation, as he's a 6-foot-5 shooting guard. Bringing him in would only add to the problem the team is currently battling with Green and Trent, where opposing forwards try to hunt them down and score over them by utilizing their size advantage. Sure, the Bucks could use LaVine's scoring ability, but if he's not helping the cause defensively, it's not solving anything.
All of that goes without mentioning his mammoth of a contract. The guard is making $47.5 million this season and will have a player option worth over $48 million for next year. That's a lot of money for the Bucks to pay for a player who isn't patching a glaring issue, especially considering they would have to sacrifice some needed depth to make salaries work.
Unless Sacramento is attaching assets, the juice may not be worth the squeeze.
The Milwaukee Bucks would be better off turning their attention to New Orleans, where there is talk of the team listening to offers on Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III. Two legitimate small forwards, Jones or Murphy, would do much more for this team than LaVine. Yes, they will certainly cost more in a trade, but either player could be well worth it.
It's not surprising to hear that the Milwaukee Bucks are doing homework on a recognizable face on the trade market. With so much chatter about Giannis Antetokounmpo's future and how the Bucks might have to make a move to get back into contention, the team is likely going to do something in the coming weeks. LaVine, with all due respect, should not be their target.
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