While the Milwaukee Bucks have filled out their roster, there's at least a shot they aren't done making moves just yet.
It's been a quiet offseason across the NBA in terms of trades, but the Bucks could very well break that trend if the right deal arises. General manager Jon Horst and the rest of this Bucks front office tend to do their due diligence on the main names floating around in the rumor mill year after year, and there's no reason to believe they aren't doing that currently.
The addition of free agent shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. does make several current Bucks players more expendable in trade talks, giving Horst more to work with. That said, let us highlight a handful of Bucks who are the likeliest to be dealt after recent events.
Bobby Portis
Based on contract and performance, Bobby Portis might be the most desirable asset Milwaukee has to offer. It's been that way over the past few seasons, but the Bucks have opted to keep him again and again. The closest it felt to them budging and actually moving Portis was at the NBA Trade Deadline this past season, and perhaps they could get back to that point this offseason.
Portis has consistently put himself in the Sixth Man of the Year conversation, cementing his place as one of the best reserves in the NBA. With the Bucks, he's averaged 13.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 40.3 percent from three. He has his defensive limitations, but there's no doubt that he can be a sparkplug off the bench offensively and on the glass. Teams would love to have that.
With a $12.6 million salary for next season, he's also on a reasonable deal that plenty of teams would be willing to take on. Yet, due to the second apron rules, the Bucks would have to find someone who makes the same or less, and there aren't many names that fit the billing available. That restraint is one reason why Portis could stick around in Milwaukee.
Finding a trade that helps the Bucks upgrade while moving Portis might be difficult due to the team's second apron limitations. Still, there's no doubt that he's on the trade block, even if Jon Horst is just testing the market to see what Portis might get them.
MarJon Beauchamp
The addition of Gary Trent Jr. will bump one or two players out of the shooting guard rotation entirely, and one of the names in the mix is MarJon Beauchamp. Entering his third NBA season, the guard has not lived up to expectations thus far, failing to crack the rotation consistently in his first two seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Beauchamp didn't do himself any favors in the Summer League, where he put together a rather poor showing despite being one of the team's veterans. He averaged a mere 12.8 points and 3.5 turnovers while shooting 32.7 percent from the floor and 30.4 percent from three across four matchups. It was not the type of confidence-inducing showing Bucks fans were hoping to see from him.
There's no doubt that Beauchamp's value is low, but perhaps there is a team out there willing to take a flyer on a former first-round pick. With a $2.7 million salary for the 2024-25 season, he's an affordable piece for any team to absorb. A young franchise that has time to develop players, such as the Spurs or Jazz, would make sense for the wing, giving him a fresh start.
Due to Milwaukee's inability to aggregate salaries in trades, the odds of getting anything significant in return for Beauchamp are slim. A deal would likely focus on a second-round pick coming back to the Bucks, allowing the team to free up a roster spot in the process. There are still countless solid free agents available, so a deal could allow Milwaukee to beef up their roster further.
Pat Connaughton
Pat Connaughton is the Milwaukee Buck made the most expendable by the addition of Gary Trent Jr.
Over the past two seasons, Connaughton simply has not looked like himself. The player who helped the Bucks win the 2021 NBA Title has not shown up, as the 3-point shot has been off, his defensive presence has regressed mightily and he's not the high-flying athlete he once was. It's unclear how much he can help the Bucks in their quest to win another title.
Trent will obviously be above Connaughton in the shooting guard pecking order, but other players like AJ Green and Andre Jackson Jr. also offer more upside at this time. On top of that, they all also make less money than Connaughton, who is scheduled to earn $9.4 million this season. When the Bucks can get better production from players making far less, it poses questions about a trade.
Due to that salary, the Bucks could land a quality player in return for Connaughton. They would have to attach some draft capital to move him, but if a quality player making less than $9.5 million hits the trade market, it could be worth it, especially with the team's limited avenues to improve and other depth pieces at the two-guard spot.
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