The Milwaukee Bucks are in a pretty rough spot. They just traded Giannis Antetokounmpo, resetting the franchise in the process. But before next season begins, they’re going to have to make at least two more moves. They have 17 people on the roster, and that number needs to be cut down to 15 before Opening Night.
The two names that pop out as obvious trade candidates are Myles Turner and Kyle Kuzma: Two players the Bucks traded for in misguided attempts to help Antetokounmpo. Those signings didn’t work out, and now, the Bucks are stuck with two albatross contracts that are virtually untradable. And if they don’t trade them, they could lose valuable players.
Turner and Kuzma are ugly reminders of how badly the Bucks failed to build around Antetokounmpo in his final couple of seasons in Milwaukee.
Bucks need to trade Myles Turner and Kyle Kuzma
The Bucks could get rid of Pete Nance and Jericho Sims to solve the roster issue, but both of those guys have at least some promise. Giving up on them for nothing would be rough for the Bucks.
At this point, Turner and Kuzma don’t provide anything to Milwaukee. The tough reality of the situation is that the Bucks just have no need for either of them at this point.
Turner is a fine center. He can shoot the ball and defend the paint. In the right situation, he could be valuable to a team that needs a starter or a high-end backup heading into next year.
The problem is, Turner makes a ton of money, and he’s going to be making a ton of money for years to come. He’ll make $26.6 million this upcoming season, and his deal doesn’t end until he has a $29.1 million player option in the 2028-29 season.
Then, there’s Kuzma, who is in a very similar situation. His production isn’t there for the contract he’s on, and teams may not want the type of shot profile he brings to the table.
Kuzma is unafraid to let it fly, but perhaps a bit too unafraid. He’s on an expiring deal, so it’s a bit easier to trade for, but he’s still set to make $20.5 million.
That’s not exactly the easiest deal to take on in a trade, especially since most teams would have to send something to the Bucks in return in order to make the money work.
Milwaukee needs to dump Turner and Kuzma, but that’s easier said than done.
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