The Milwaukee Bucks have to make a move before the NBA Trade Deadline. With half of the regular season gone, they look like a team with a ton of potential but with some problems that have to get fixed if they want to be a contender.
If they want to add some players to the roster, they have to send something in return, and that's what we're talking about today. We're going to go player by player and make a case for whether they should or shouldn't be traded, organizing them into tiers for clarity.
First, we need to address the fact that the Bucks are currently over the second apron, which means they cannot combine salaries or combine players in a trade. However, there is a legitimate shot that they can get under the apron, which will be taken into account in this tier list.
That said, let's start with the first tier.
Untradable
It probably goes without saying, but this tier is for players who should not be traded under any circumstance. There's just not a single scenario where trading them would make sense, and since you probably know who's going to be here, we won't make it too long.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Of course, Giannis is here. It doesn't even need a thoughtful explanation. You just don't trade a generational player like him unless you're in a desperate situation. And the Bucks, luckily, are not.
Damian Lillard
Lillard is arguably not as untradable as Giannis, but it doesn't make any sense to get rid of him at this point. This trade would be the beginning of the end for this project, and there's no reason to think they should blow this up.
No, but...
This is where things start to get hot. This tier is for players who shouldn't be traded but might need to be added to some trade package if the Bucks want to land a bigger name. That is an unlikely scenario, but we've seen the weirdest things happen in the NBA, so we can't call these players 100 percent untradable. Starting with...
AJ Green
Green has grown into a very crucial part of the Bucks' rotation, and there's even a case for him to deserve a starting role. He brings great shooting, some much-needed off-ball game and solid defense. Nobody wants him off the team, and he shouldn't be traded, but there's always that hypothetical scenario in which adding him to a bigger package turns out to be a deal-breaker.
And, if so, Bucks might have to make the tough decision. But that's 99 percent not happening.
Andre Jackson Jr.
This is almost an identical case to Green. There is no real reason to think he'll be gone unless the other team is asking for him to be in a bigger package. And that's as unlikely as it is with Green.
Brook Lopez
This is a hot one. Lopez's lack of defensive versatility has gone against the team a few times in the last several weeks to the point where he's had to get benched against some athletic rosters. With him on the floor, the team doesn't have a way to stop opponents who can pull him out of the paint, which has resulted in the Bucks getting beaten by teams like the New York Knicks.
However, Lopez is still a good player for some matchups, and the problem doesn't really have to do with him as much as with the fact that there's no real backup for him. He's the only actual center on the roster (Bobby Portis is more of a power forward forced to play center), so he has to be on the floor even when he doesn't fit the game at all and gets exposed more than the average player does. But that's not really his fault.
If the Bucks get an athletic backup big, Lopez will suddenly look much better because there won't be as many moments where he gets outmatched as easily. And, which such a thin center rotation, he must only be traded if the team is getting another starting center in return who fits the roster. And that trade is probably non-existent right now.
Gary Trent Jr.
Trent's case is closer to Green and Jackson's than it is to Lopez's. With such a lower salary - he's making the minimum - you can only think about him being traded as an asset in a trade package after the Bucks get under the second apron, and even in that case, he should not be the player they use to match salaries. Yet, if they have to and the player they're getting in return is worth it, they'll have to think about it.
Khris Middleton
Middleton is another player some fans seem to be willing to move on. However, it's close to impossible to find a realistic trade for him out there that improves the Bucks' chances to win a title, and there's still a lot of value to his game despite him not being at his peak. His chemistry with Giannis is still unmatched, and his ISO scoring can be huge in playoffs, so if they take him away, it has to be because they're getting something big in return.
He's become kind of a scapegoat for a part of the fanbase, and you have to be careful when doing that. The Timberwolves did it with Karl-Anthony Towns, and now that he's gone, they realized that, despite his flaws, he did a lot of things they took for granted and elevated the team to a spot it's struggling to reach again. So, despite Khris Middleton not being untradable anymore, a hypothetical trade has to be approached in a thoughtful way.
Tradable
At this point, Bucks have to be open to trade any of the players in this tier. That doesn't mean they'd be better gone, but if there's a chance for the team to become a contender with a move that includes any of these players, there's no point in not going for it.
AJ Johnson
It's a weird thing with Johnson, whose pick never really made sense given the team’s timeline, but whose potential has fans quite hyped. He looks like an athletic, fast, good shooter and a solid defender, which can make him a nice player in the future. But the Milwaukee Bucks don't want to be good in the future. They want to be great now.
That's why you have to be open about the idea even if it can't end as one of those trades you regret five years from now. If getting Johnson into a draft package gives the Bucks a player who can impact the team right from the bat, there are not that many reasons not to do it. By the time he's a star (if he ever is), it might be too late for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
Tyler Smith
The reasoning is the same as it is with Johnson, although he isn't really at the same point as a player. He doesn't have such a high ceiling, but he looks more ready to play. Yet, that's just not happening despite the team being so shorthanded in the bigs rotation. So, if he doesn't play for Doc Rivers, you have to consider the idea of using him as an asset to get a player who will actually play.
Taurean Prince
Prince has had a solid season so far, and there's no reason to want him gone. But there's no reason for him to be a deal-breaker, either. If the Bucks have to add some small contract to match salaries in a big trade, going with him wouldn't be the end of the world.
Chris Livingston
If you have to trade one of the youngest guys, he should probably be the one. Again, this is unlikely since it would only happen if the Bucks get under the second apron and make a bigger trade that requires a few players gone, but it's not impossible, so we have to address that case. And if they get to that point, he seems to be the one Doc Rivers trusts the least and the one with the lowest potential.
Yes, but...
We're in trade territory right now. Players in this tier would probably be better gone, which doesn't really mean you can just trade them for whatever you can get. They're not really helping the team, but there's still some value to them you have to address.
Bobby Portis
Bobby Portis is undoubtedly the most polarizing player on the team. Some fans love him, some seem to think the Bucks would be better if he got dealt immediately. The truth is, as always, somewhere in the middle ground.
At this point, he's probably hurting the team more than he's helping, though. The Bucks' biggest flaw is that they don't have an athletic big who can cover for Lopez's bad matchups. Instead, they have a backup big that is even more exploitable on defense.
Portis is undersized and slow, so he doesn't really bring anything on the defensive end, and that is the reason why Lopez has to play so much, even when he's getting exposed. He's far from the kind of big this roster needs, which makes him the one to trade.
The thing is that he needs to be traded for the right player. He still fits the team on offense thanks to his shooting, so they can't just go with a desperation move to take him away and end up with someone whose fit is even worse and makes the big rotation even shorter.
Luckily for the Bucks, he's a player who seems quite tradable. He has a big enough contract that allows the team to get a decent player in return, and there might be some teams interested in the shooting and scoring he can provide. They just have to be the correct pieces to make it work for both sides.
Delon Wright
Wright is probably the most disappointing player of the season so far. He's had some good games but has overall been far from his best to the point he's been overtaken by Ryan Rollins in the rotation, making him a DNP most nights.
Likeliest players on the move
This is pretty straightforward: these players shouldn't be on the team after the trade deadline. It sounds mean, but there's a reason for that.
Pat Connaughton
He has proven to be more usable than most fans seem to think, but he might be the key for something we've mentioned a lot through the post: getting under the second apron. If they send him to another team in a salary dump, they could go under the limit and get a lot more freedom to make significant moves that could actually help the team. And solely for that, the best scenario for the team would be him leaving and getting nothing in return.
The Milwaukee Bucks would probably need to add a second-round pick for some team to take his $9.4 million contract, but, with the new CBA, that's worth it.
MarJon Beauchamp
Ryan Rollins is likely to sign a regular contract, but he can't right now since the Bucks 15-man roster is full. For that to happen, they need someone out. And if it isn't Connaughton, it has to be Beauchamp.
No matter what any of us think about him, the Bucks made pretty clear what they think when they didn't agree to the wing's team option for the 2025-26 season, which is rare for a rookie contract. They're out of faith with him, so if they can use his spot with a player who's actually contributing on the court, there's really no two ways about it.
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