In their quest to beef up the power forward position, the Minnesota Timberwolves felt like such an obvious trade partner with the Milwaukee Bucks. With Kyle Kuzma no longer fitting the timeline the Bucks are in, a deal seemed logical. Yet, after an all-out organizational push to land one of the best remaining free agents, Jonathan Kuminga, that idea has gone out the window.
Wolves' forward vacancy has been filled
After trading Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets, Minnesota spent much of the summer looking for a replacement power forward. With options running thin, Kuminga was essentially their last hope. If the team failed to land him, perhaps it would have forced them to scour the trade market and take a stab at someone like Kuzma simply because he's an experienced body at the position.
Yet, against all odds, the Timberwolves agreed to a deal with Kuminga despite interest from a handful of suitors. Many believed Kuminga landing with the Los Angeles Lakers was a done deal, especially as they could offer the forward more money. Yet, he seemingly believed the Timberwolves would offer a better opportunity basketball-wise and inked a two-year deal there.
For the Milwaukee Bucks, a trade possibility is now off the board.
Trading Kuzma won't be easy for Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks won't be going door to door in an effort to trade Kuzma, but the writing is on the wall. He simply doesn't fit the vision of the current team, outside of being a nice veteran who provides depth. With the roster overflowing as is, trading him would especially make sense, but the Bucks will have a tough time finding any takers at the moment.
Kuzma's value simply isn't high, and his $20.5 million salary, although expiring, could scare off suitors for the time being. However, if the veteran forward takes advantage of what could be a larger role with the new-look Bucks next season, teams could suddenly start to do their homework on him leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline.
Right off the bat, the Los Angeles Lakers could be a team worth keeping an eye on. As mentioned, they were among the teams chasing Kuminga because they could have used an upgrade at forward. After missing out on him, they will likely stand pat for the time being, but if that void starts to hinder them, it would make sense to pursue a reunion with a player who helped them win a title.
If they don't trade Kuzma, the Milwaukee Bucks can simply let him walk at the end of the season, but it would be nice to get something out of him if possible.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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