Ranking Realistic Trade Targets For Milwaukee Bucks

The 2023 NBA trade deadline is creeping up on February 9th, and the Milwaukee Bucks will have some decisions to make.

Milwaukee hasn’t experienced full health all season long, making it difficult for their front office to evaluate this year’s team.

Khris Middleton, Pat Connaughton and Joe Ingles missed the first part of the season, leaving a massive void on the wing. Connaughton returned in November, with Ingles and Middleton coming back in December. However, Middleton’s was short-lived, as a flare-up sidelined him for another month after just seven games.

When he made his way back to the court last week, the Bucks were at full strength for half a game before Bobby Portis went down and out with a sprained knee. He’s now week-to-week, leaving Milwaukee with another major hole to fill.

Despite all of that, the Bucks are tied for second in the Eastern Conference and are just 2.5 games back of the Boston Celtics. However, they have holes that must be filled, including a backup point guard, big wing and fourth big man.

I’ve ranked the top 12 potential trade candidates who are both realistic and fill an immediate need on the Bucks’ roster. There are a couple of caveats: I eliminated any player requiring Milwaukee to ship at least three of their own players and only receive one in return. It’s too hard to replace two roster slots at this point, and three-for-one deals are unrealistic in the middle of the season.

That limits the amount of salary the Bucks are able to bring back in return. Since they are a tax-paying team, Milwaukee can only receive 125 percent of their outgoing salary plus $100,000 in a trade. If we assume they’re keeping Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, Joe Ingles and Pat Connaughton, that leaves Grayson Allen ($8.5 million) and George Hill ($4 million) as their two highest-paid players available in a trade. If we combine them and use the CBA’s rules, the highest salary Milwaukee can receive in a deal is $15.725 million.

I guess what I’m trying to say is the following players are out of the Bucks’ price range and have been removed from this ranking: John Collins, Terry Rozier, Eric Gordon, Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., O.G. Anunoby, Mike Conley, Myles Turner, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Bojan Bogdanovic

Kelly Oubre Jr., Charlotte Hornets

Oubre’s defensive skills would be a beautiful match in Milwaukee. He could either slide in as a starter alongside Middleton and Antetokounmpo or come off the bench. Furthermore, he can play in just about any lineup as either a jumbo three or a small-ball 4. The biggest question mark is his offense, but I trust Mike Budenholzer to reign in his shot selection.

Jae Crowder, Phoenix Suns

Crowder hasn’t played all season, plummeting his trade price. His defense and toughness would be welcomed in Milwaukee, providing them with a P.J. Tucker 2.0. He’d be a great player to acquire, but not if it includes shipping away Allen and draft picks.

Alex Caruso, Chicago Bulls

The Bulls are sinking and some of their players might become available. Chicago’s price for Caruso is reportedly way too high (a couple of firsts), but things can change quickly. He’d be a nice fifth starter who would add toughness and hustle.

Immanuel Quickley, New York Knicks

Quickley is a high-risk, high-reward trade prospect for the Bucks. He isn’t as established as some of the other players, but the payoff is higher than most.

Jordan Clarkson, Utah Jazz

The Bucks’ offense has struggled all season and could use a spark in their second unit. Clarkson is a shoot first, ask questions later type of player. It’s unclear how his defense would impact his abilities in the postseason, but Milwaukee might be able to hide him if he can make enough shots.

Josh Richardson, San Antonio Spurs

Richardson is the opposite of Clarkson. He’d provide some offensive play and spacing, but his primary qualities are defense and toughness. He’d give Milwaukee a younger version of Wes Matthews.

Jarred Vanderbilt, Utah Jazz

P.J. Washington, Charlotte Hornets

Jalen McDaniels, Charlotte Hornets

Budenholzer is quite happy with a three-man big rotation in the postseason and acquiring these guys would be for insurance purposes only. However, they are stretchy bigs who would provide defense and flexibility for the Bucks.

Jakob Poeltl, San Antonio Spurs

The Bucks desperately need another big on their roster considering their impasse with Serge Ibaka. Poeltl would be a great defensive weapon to use against Joel Embiid, but that might be too narrow of a scope for his skills.

John Wall, Los Angeles Clippers

The Bucks need a backup point guard and the Clippers are reportedly willing to part with Wall. He’s not the same player we remember, but he’d be an upgrade over Hill. The question is: Has Jevon Carter proved he deserves playing time in the playoffs?

Cam Reddish, New York Knicks

I’m not quite sure what the infatuation with Reddish is. The Bucks are already over the salary cap and he has a $6 million salary slot for this year. He hasn’t shown great potential since entering the NBA and I’m not in love with him as a player. He also wouldn’t help this year. Milwaukee would be betting on his long-term upside.