Tracking the larger sentiments of Bucks fans week by week
Ever since Jimmy Butler requested a trade and the Bucks started popping up in rumors, Khris Middleton has been in that conversation too. Even if Butler isn’t the target, some fans want Milwaukee to upgrade to another star on the wing, and Zach LaVine is the name of late. That would mean the Bucks need to trade away $48m in salary in order to get beneath the second apron, where they would be hard-capped as a result of aggregating players.
This is out of necessity, to be sure: Middleton’s contract—as would those of Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton—would be needed to acquire anyone making north of $40m this season. But it’s also coming from the portion of the fanbase who, for whatever reason, has soured on Middleton and wants to move on sooner rather than later. For some, it’s due to his recent injury history, but for many others, they just have never liked Middleton (chalk it up to the disproven “he can’t be the second star on a championship team” trope).
It’s been said before, but it bears repeating: integrating a star player, especially a high-usage scorer like LaVine, is exceptionally hard to do and win a championship in the same season. Recent deadlines are littered with this not working out: Kevin Durant to Phoenix in 2023, Kyrie Irving to Dallas that same year, and James Harden to Philly in 2022 (hey, those players all have something in common!) pop to mind. Go further back, and you have Pau Gasol to LA and Jason Kidd to Dallas in 2008, moves that didn’t pay off until a year or two later. If it works out, teams need a full offseason and training camp for it to happen.
The only real examples of teams winning a ring with a seismic midseason trade for a star-caliber player are Clyde Drexler to Houston in 1995 and Rasheed Wallace to Detroit in 2003. However, Drexler had already been Hakeem Olajuwon’s teammate in college about ten years prior. Wallace was a seamless fit with one of the more unique champions in NBA history, known for being somewhat star-less; that team lacked a 20 PPG scorer and forged its identity on defense. But Wallace was a borderline All-Star who didn’t need the ball in his hands too much.
So would this deadline be the time to make such a move, if at all? Setting aside Middleton’s production—which can’t just be handwaved away (as much as some might try), even in 20–30 MPG—for now, he still has the best chemistry with Giannis among any active player, not to mention other holdovers on the team. Bringing in someone new would be starting from square one offensively. If anything, a trade would make more sense in the offseason, when Middleton’s salary would truly be expiring if he picks up his $34m player option. It’s also worth mentioning that GM Jon Horst has rarely moved rotation players at deadlines: the only two players he’s traded who were earnestly playing in the lead-up to being dealt were DJ Augustin in 2021 and Donte DiVincenzo in 2022—role players, not key offensive cogs.
In this week’s Tuesday Tracker, we want your trade opinions, with the deadline just nine days away. Is LaVine the answer, or should a smaller move be made? If so, for what?
As always, this poll will be open until midnight Central on Friday, and we’ll post the results later that day. Thanks for voting!