The reeling Milwaukee Bucks are eyeing a potential massive trade.
A 116-99 home victory against the 3-16 Brooklyn Nets on Saturday helped the Bucks avoid what would have been a brutal eight-game losing streak. But that doesn’t mean the 9-12 club’s troubles are in the rearview.
Without another elite scorer next to nine-time All-NBA power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo — who’s generally not much of a jump shooter beyond the arc — the Bucks’ offense has looked a bit stale. Antetokounmpo also missed four straight games during Milwaukee’s seven-game skid, and the team looked hapless without him.
Adding Talent to Placate Giannis Antetokounmpo?
Antetokounmpo may not have much of an appetite for a fourth straight first-round playoff exit, to say nothing of missing the postseason entirely (if the season ended today, the Bucks wouldn’t even qualify for the play-in tournament).
Could another desperation move, a la team general manager Jon Horst’s decision to stretch and waive Damian Lillard’s remaining contract and subsequently sign Myles Turner, be on the horizon?
More news: Former Bucks Big Man Hints at NBA Return After 2 Years Away
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype writes that the Bucks are considering a deal for a slightly-overpaid three-level scorer stuck on a lottery loser, two-time All-Star Sacramento Kings shooting guard Zach LaVine.
“The Milwaukee Bucks have conducted background due diligence on LaVine and others around the league, as usual, sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto writes, while cautioning that “nothing is imminent.”
Fascinatingly, one of the key Bucks trade chips who’d need to be involved in a LaVine deal already has a relationship with Sacramento majority owner Vivek Ranadive.
“Should Milwaukee’s interest in LaVine become more serious, it’s worth noting that Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma and Kings Governor Vivek Ranadive both invested in a new women’s professional sports venture called Major League Volleyball, and Kuzma has been linked to the Kings via trade rumors for several seasons,” Scotto reveals.
More news: Shea Serrano Makes Bold Prediction for Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks Title Window
The 6-foot-5 UCLA product, also a two-time Slam Dunk champion, is earning a very generous $47.5 million in 2025-26 and boasts a $48.97 million player option for next year.
Through 18 games this season, LaVine has been averaging 20.8 points on .493/.380/.866 shooting splits, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists a night.
That 38 percent 3-point rate arrives on 7.2 triple tries, and while he doesn’t get to the line enough for such an elite shooter (3.7 free throw attempts per), LaVine would still represent a massive multifaceted scoring upgrade for a Bucks team in desperate need for a second creator.
More news: Surgeon Gets Honest About Bucks Forward Taurean Prince’s Neck Surgery Rehab
At 5-15, the ill-fitting Kings look like one of the worst clubs in the league.
So it’s perhaps understandable that Sacramento is open to offloading many of its former All-Star vets, including LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis, and perhaps Russell Westbrook — although his minimum-salaried contract is pretty reasonable, and even he had trouble finding a home in free agency this offseason.
Latest Bucks News
For more news and notes on the Milwaukee Bucks, visit Milwaukee Bucks on SI.