The Bucks are among the teams with interest in Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, multiple league sources tell Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscription required).
Morant, a two-time All-Star who has been plagued by injury and off-court woes in recent years, will miss his fifth straight game on Sunday vs. Brooklyn due to a right calf contusion, per the NBA’s official injury report.
This is the first report we’ve seen definitively linking Milwaukee to Morant, who is on the trading block.
In order to match salaries with Morant, who is earning approximately $39.5MM this season and is under contract through 2027/28, an outgoing Bucks package would likely start with Kyle Kuzma ($22.4MM). There are multiple ways to make the money work from there with additional players included.
While Morant makes some sense as a buy-low candidate for the Bucks, who are trying to get back into contention in the Eastern Conference around two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, his on-court fit seems shaky. For starters, Morant has never been a great shooter, and Milwaukee’s two best players this season outside of Antetokounmpo have been point guards Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr.
The Bucks also continue to be intrigued by Kings shooting guard Zach LaVine, Owczarski reports. Milwaukee has been connected to multiple players on Sacramento’s roster, though the two teams reportedly weren’t engaged in active trade conversations as of last week.