The Milwaukee Bucks are still riding high on the NBA Championship they won in 2021. Anyone could argue that they could have won back-to-back if Khris Middleton did not sustain a knee injury that sidelined him for the rest of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. Even without Middleton for the first quarter of this 2022-23 campaign, Milwaukee remains to be the second-best team in the association behind the Boston Celtics. But perhaps a trade around the edges could help the Bucks out.

The foundation and structure of this roster are commendable as the Jrue Holiday acquisition a couple of seasons back brought them a championship back to the city of Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo will be a legendary player for at least 8-10 more years, so the Bucks will remain competitive in the Eastern Conference until Antetokounmpo is past his peak. Even with their Big 3, there is still one player who they must consider moving before the trade deadline to help in the postseason, and that is Duke shooting guard Grayson Allen.

Bucks Trade Candidate: Grayson Allen

When the Bucks acquired Grayson Allen from the Memphis Grizzlies after winning the championship, the intention was to add more shooting alongside their three stars because that seemed like the key to success in Milwaukee. P.J. Tucker, Bryn Forbes, and Torey Craig all departed from Milwaukee after winning the championship so the depth of their role players was depleted entering the 2022 campaign.

The Grayson Allen addition was brilliant because the Grizzlies seemed to be content with letting him go, but the inconsistencies have been tough for Milwaukee. Rewarding him with a contract extension before he even suited up for Bucks was questionable, but they have continued to utilize him for a ton of minutes at the combo guard position.

In the 2022 postseason, Allen was glaringly missing especially in their second-round matchup against the Celtics. He failed to score in double-digits for six of the seven games as he shot below 50% in five of the seven games, which was tough to stomach for Milwaukee. Allen has been more respectable this season as he has tallied 11.2 PPG on 44% shooting from long-distance, but there still seems to be something missing in his arsenal.

Head coach Mike Budenholzer may have a found gem in Jevon Carter, but they still need a more reliable two-way player rather than having Grayson Allen starting for the Bucks. A better option for Milwaukee could be Jae Crowder or Alex Caruso because of their incredible defense prowess and chipping in a couple of long-range bombs.

Both Crowder and Caruso are more experienced in the NBA Playoffs, so having veterans at the brightest stage is an integral aspect of their quest of winning another championship. Grayson Allen could still be utilized in this lineup, but it is unlikely he will be the piece to be moved in any sort of trade because of the flexibility of the Bucks' roster.

The salary structure is focused more on their top guys, then it takes a significant drop-off with their two bigs Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis along with Allen. Among the three individuals, Allen will likely receive the most interest from the other organizations. With a Crowder or Caruso type of player on the fold, Milwaukee fans must not worry because they still have the steady Pat Connaughton ready to go along with the returning Joe Ingles, who is expected to come back at some point before the playoffs.

The formula for building a team surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo seems easy, but the execution is vastly different from all the talk in sports shows. One crucial decision is what to do with Grayson Allen, and it seems right to move on from him and explore the market for a better supporting cast.