NBA Rumor Roundup: Latest on Milwaukee Bucks' trade targets, coaching suitors, more
By Dalton Sell
Do the Bucks have a legitimate shot at trading for Dejounte Murray? Who else might be on their radar?
Before all of this chaos regarding the coach took place, the big news involving the Bucks was their rumored interest in trading for Dejounte Murray of the Atlanta Hawks. Murray is currently among the top players remaining on the trade market, and it seems inevitable that he will be moved in the coming weeks. Do the Bucks have a legitimate chance to get him? It's not off the table.
On a recent episode of the #thisleague UNCUT podcast, Haynes and Stein, who host together, spoke about Milwaukee's interest in making a move before the deadline, calling their mindset "aggressive." Even though the Hawks are rumored to want two first-rounders for Murray, something the Bucks don't have, that has not stopped them from trying to acquire the guard.
Haynes believes Milwaukee could aim to flip some of their current players to land the necessary draft capital to please Atlanta. Perhaps the Bucks could rope in another team to hypothetically take on the contract of say, Bobby Portis, to send more draft capital to Atlanta. The pathway to getting Murray on the Bucks will not be easy, but the front office is clearly looking at scenarios to make it happen.
For now, Milwaukee's interest in Murray is seemingly exploratory, but it could intensify at any moment. If the Bucks are somehow able to pull off a trade for Murray after having acquired Damian Lillard over the summer, no one should ever question Jon Horst's ability to make things happen upstairs. It's all about the waiting game right now, as the deadline isn't until February 8.
On that same podcast episode, the pair mentioned players like Dorian Finney-Smith, Alex Caruso, Matisse Thybulle, and Bruce Brown as players who could make sense as trade targets for the Bucks. Any of those names would make for good additions to strengthen this team's point of attack defense, but it seems like the Bucks are eyeing the biggest fish on the market right now.