OKC Thunder trade deadline: Milwaukee Bucks have few holes to fill

Team Situation:

Milwaukee is seeded first in the Eastern Conference as of this writing with a 39-13 record and look to be the first team who’ll amass 40 wins this season.

Six seasons ago the Bucks won 15 games in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s rookie season. Since that time the brain trust has worked to rebuild the team around their star. Jason Kidd tried to push the team to new heights but never discovered the right yin for Gianni’s yang. Milwaukee made three trips to the playoffs in the four years of Kidd’s tenure but never moved past the first round.

This season expectations are for a deep playoff one potentially with a shot at the NBA Finals and perhaps the league’s MVP in tow.

Heading into the trade deadline the Bucks are in a bit of foreign territory because messing with solid chemistry is risky. But key members of the core surrounding Giannis are in contract years. Of those, the trio of Brook Lopez, Eric Bledsoe, and Malcolm Brogdon are all on expiring contracts but essential to the Bucks success. For that reason, it’s unlikely Milwaukee will be keen to move them especially Lopez or Bledsoe despite the former’s issues defensively. Which means Brogdon could be the one left open.

Likewise, Thon Maker who seemed poised to become part of the rotation isn’t getting much burn nor is he happy with his lack of minutes. Maker approached management requesting a trade so is definitely an asset the Bucks will look to appease to keep the locker room happy and healthy.

Trade Category:

Although the Bucks will keep their options open they aren’t desperate to make a move. This neither isolates them as buyers or sellers. But, if the whispers of Anthony Davis including Milwaukee on his list are true they would be silly not to entertain the option – or at the very least offer up a potential trade.