The Milwaukee Bucks have emerged as one of the best teams in the NBA over the past few years, and early on in the 2022-23 season, that same notion has rang true. The Bucks have the second best record in the league behind the Boston Celtics, and if it weren't for the C's incredible start to the season, the Bucks would probably be the favorites to win it all this season.
For the Bucks, the formula from recent years has remained the same. They have arguably the best player in the game in Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way, and have given him a dominant supporting cast to help make his life easier. With guys like Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton behind him, the Bucks don't have a lot of true weaknesses on their roster.
Despite that, there are still areas of this team that need improvements, as there are no perfect teams in the league this season. The easiest way to fix up those holes is through the trade market, and while the trade deadline is still far away, let's take a look at a few early predictions for what Milwaukee could do when the trade deadline rolls around.
2. Bucks will trade George Hill and Serge Ibaka
The first thing the Bucks need to recognize is that they have some spare pieces on their bench that could be of use for other teams. They aren't necessarily going to be hot commodities on the marker, but sometimes moving pieces you aren't really using is better than just leaving them on the bench to collect dust.
Two such players that come to mind that fall into that category are George Hill and Serge Ibaka. Both guys are solid veteran players who have things that they are good at, but in a crowded Bucks rotation, they haven't found much time on the court so far this season. And if that doesn't change over the next month or so, dealing them away would make a lot of sense.
Hill is a veteran three-and-d guard who is nearing the end of his career, and hasn't been the same player he once was for a while now. Hill doesn't have a ton of value for the Bucks right now, but that doesn't mean other teams would feel the same way. Hill could be a guy another playoff contender uses off the back of their bench, making him have a bit of value on the market.
Ibaka is in a similar spot, and he's really not needed based on how good Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez have been ahead of him in the big-man rotation. Ibaka has looked solid in his fleeting minutes, and while he's gelled with the Bucks locker room, it's another situation where he could help out another team a lot more than he is helping out Milwaukee right now.
Either way, it seems like both of these guys would better serve new teams rather than the Bucks. They could be packaged or dealt separately, but it doesn't really matter how it gets done as long as it gets done. This would be an under-the-radar opportunity for the Bucks to recoup some value for players that likely don't factor into their future, and while they wouldn't be the flashiest moves, they could help Milwaukee out greatly in the future.
1. Bucks will swing a deal for Derrick Rose
Of course, the Bucks will be looking to bring in some talent to aid their championship quest, and they could use a proper point guard to bring in off the bench. If that's what they are looking for, the New York Knicks make sense as a potential trade partner, because they have a ton of backcourt players they could be looking to trade.
The one that stands out right now for the Bucks would be Derrick Rose. Rose has seen his role with the Knicks decrease pretty drastically this season, and there's a decent chance the Knicks could unload some of their backcourt depth at the trade deadline. That would include Rose, who has emerged as a solid bench guard to close out his career.
Moving Hill would open up another spot on the bench for a guard to take over, and the Bucks would benefit greatly from adding a true ball handler at the guard position rather than Hill, who is primarily a spot up shooter at this point. Jevon Carter is probably playing in a role too big for him, which is why this move would make a lot of sense.
Rose has proved over the past few seasons that when he gets minutes, he's a strong option off the bench. He can still score when he has too, and his playmaking skills have only decreased this season, because he's hunting shots more often in his limited time on the floor. The Bucks don't have many holes on their roster, but they could fill one of their bigger holes with this small move for Rose.
Follow Us
Subscribe