NBA trade Deadline targets for the Milwaukee Bucks and what they might cost

The 2024 NBA Trade Deadline is just several days away, and many fans are waiting anxiously for the Milwaukee Bucks to make a move.

Despite their limited assets, the Bucks likely have an aggressive mindset as they aim to improve the roster, particularly defensively. Scouting the trade market, there are plenty of names who could help this team on that side of the floor. That said, let us look at several premier targets and what it might cost to acquire them.

Matisse Thybulle, Portland Trail Blazers

Matisse Thybulle was linked to the Bucks by Yahoo Sports' NBA insider Jake Fischer. While it's not clear how available the young Portland Trail Blazers wing is ahead of the trade deadline, the Bucks should make an offer to find out.

Thybulle is exactly what the Bucks need right now. He's a versatile, defensive-minded wing who would immediately fortify this team's perimeter defense tenfold. He could be Milwaukee's primary defender for the opposing team's top wing, which is something they lack mightily right now. They've been using Malik Beasley in this role, and Thybulle would be an immediate upgrade.

Financially, Thybulle is making $10.5 million this season. To match that deal, Milwaukee could offer up Pat Connaughton and Cameron Payne while including their two second-rounders as sweeteners for a Portland team that would likely covet them, especially their own in 2024. Per Fischer, there are people in the league who could view that pick as valuable, given that it is expected to be an early second.

It's unclear if Portland would accept this. They don't find themselves in a position where moving on from Thybulle is necessary after inking him to a deal this past off-season. The only way they might consider would be if they covet their own second-round pick and another pick to build for the future. Still, the Bucks should at least make an offer, as there's no denying the fit.

An interesting nugget in this situation is that Thybulle has to give the green light in any trade due to how his contract is structured, per Rose Garden Report's Sean Highkin. It should be noted that the young wing played under Doc Rivers with the Philadelphia 76ers and that the two did not always see eye to eye, meaning Thybulle could very well decline to play for him again if he so desired.

That's not a guarantee, just something to keep an eye on if discussions did gain any traction.