Despite winning the NBA Cup, this season has been inconsistent for the Milwaukee Bucks. Unlike previous seasons, they are not achieving the massive regular season success they have grown accustomed to. As of February 3rd, they are 26-21 and fifth in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee has been a somewhat middle-of-the-road team this year.
They are currently ranked 12th in points per game, 14th in points allowed per game, 11th in both offensive and defensive rating, and 10th in net rating. The Bucks have been excellent at shooting three-pointers (second in 3P%), but have struggled from the free-throw line (29th in FT%). One area that Milwaukee needs to address if they want a shot at a championship run is offensive rebounding. The Bucks are last in offensive rebounds at 8.5 ORB per game. To address this, Milwaukee must make a move(s) at the trade deadline. Here are some possible trade targets for the Bucks to negate this issue.
4 Milwaukee Bucks Trade Targets to Fix Their Rebounding Issue
Current Situation
Giannis Antetokounmpo is Milwaukee’s current offensive rebounding leader at 2.3 per game. Unfortunately, he is not even ranked in the top 20 in offensive rebounds per game. The other starting big man for the Bucks, Brook Lopez, is not much of a rebound threat. Lopez is there primarily for his shot-blocking abilities, as he is fourth in the league in blocks per game, while only averaging 4.7 (1.1 ORB) rebounds per game. The only other offensive rebounding option is their sixth man Bobby Portis, averaging just 1.7 ORB per game. The Bucks need to get a player or multiple who can be an effective force at offensive rebounding before the trade deadline. An issue for Milwaukee is that they are above the second apron. This limits the types of moves they can make.
Jonas Valanciunas
The Washington Wizards are in last place by a fairly large margin in the Eastern Conference. It would make sense for them to trade some of their current talent. Jonas Valanciunas is a player who would benefit the Bucks. He is 32 years old and is averaging 2.3 offensive rebounds per game. His current contract is for the rest of this season and two more for just above $10 million per year. Valancunas could be a nice compliment to Lopez, which is something Milwaukee has expressed interest in pursuing.
Moussa Diabate
The Charlotte Hornets are another team at the bottom of the East. Mark Williams is their current starting center and is improving rapidly. He is 23 years old and poised to be their future starting center. Charlotte has another 23-year-old center, Moussa Diabate, who is on a two-way contract and could be a valuable trade piece for the right team. Diabate is averaging 3.0 offensive rebounds per game. He could very well play a pivotal role coming off Milwaukee’s bench. However, Charlotte could want to keep him around since he is a young and very cheap/valuable bench option.
Day’Ron Sharpe
The Brooklyn Nets are another team unlikely to make the playoffs. Brooklyn has a similar situation to Charlotte, where they likely already have their future, long-time starting center in Nic Claxton. That could leave their backup center, Day’Ron Sharpe, open for trade talks. Sharpe is just two years younger than Claxton and is currently averaging 2.9 offensive rebounds per game. He is under contract for the rest of this year. If Lopez retires after this season, maybe Milwaukee could sign him to become their starting center in the future.
Guerschon Yabusele
If Joel Embiid comes back soon (and is not traded), Guerschon Yabusele could be someone they part ways with. Yabusele and Andre Drummond are the 76ers backup centers to Embiid right now. Yabusele’s contract ends after this season, so a trade is certainly possible. Yabusele is averaging 1.9 offensive rebounds per game this season. However, if the 76ers would rather give up Drummond, either player could be worth pursuing for the Bucks.
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