With the NBA trade season unofficially now open, one of the teams to watch is the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA, and Giannis Antetokounmpo has made it clear he is willing to move on. So, the Bucks have a decision to make as the trade deadline approaches: either be buyers or sellers.
Will The Milwaukee Bucks Be Buyers Or Sellers At the NBA Trade Deadline
While it is still very early in the 2025-26 season, Milwaukee is not playing like a playoff team. The Bucks are 11-16 on the season, having lost seven of their last 10 games, and are sitting in the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference. It marks the first time in seven years that the Bucks have compiled a losing record at this point of the season, and their lowest win total since 2015-16, when they began the campaign with a 9-18 record.
Milwaukee has lots of issues. The Bucks rank in the bottom ten in the NBA in both offense and defense. The Bucks are one of the top shooting teams in the league, ranking fourth in field goal percentage and first in 3-point percentage. But the Bucks turn the ball over a good amount, and they don’t hit the offensive glass. Additionally, they don’t get to the foul line.
Defensively, the Bucks haven’t been terrible. However, the Bucks don’t defend the rim or rebound well, and foul too much.
Injuries have also played a big part in the Bucks’ struggles. Antetokounmpo, who has missed 10 games this year, is currently sidelined with a calf injury and is expected to be sidelined for three more weeks. The Bucks are 9-8 with Antetokounmpo in the lineup.
While Antetokounmpo is the headliner, he is not the only Buck to deal with injuries. Kevin Porter Jr. missed the first 19 contests, and Taurean Prince (neck herniated disc) has been sidelined since early November. AJ Green has missed the Bucks’ last three games with a shoulder injury and is considered day-to-day.
Bucks Has A lot Of Things To Think About
Milwaukee, one of the most consistent franchises over the last decade, has made the playoffs in nine straight seasons. However, the Bucks have been ousted in the first round in each of the previous three seasons. The Bucks are over $11 million below the luxury tax threshold, so they have a lot to think about.
Milwaukee is being outscored by nearly 4 points per game this season, the worst scoring differential among the East’s top 10 teams. Moreover, the Bucks are one of the worst teams on the road, posting a 3-9 record with a -9.8 point differential, which ranks sixth-worst in the league.
Milwaukee is definitely a worse team without Antetokounmpo. Without Antetokounmpo, the Bucks don’t have a go-to scorer or someone to create for others; therefore, they become uber-reliant on their perimeter shooters. Defensively, they struggle to defend the paint/rim and foul more often. They are 4-11 against teams with a winning record, and nine of their 16 losses have been by double-figures.
Still, according to The Athletic’s Eric Nehm, the Bucks are not ready to throw in the proverbial towel on the season.
“Five months after the Bucks’ stunning decision to waive Damian Lillard en route to adding big man Myles Turner on a four-year, $107 million deal, it appears they aren’t waving the white flag on Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee just yet,” Nehm wrote.”Instead, league sources said they’re considering making yet another significant addition that might aid their chances of convincing him to stay.”
What Do The Bucks Need?
Although the Bucks have six players averaging double-figures, they don’t have anyone who can create offense off the dribble. Or get to the free-throw line. Which is why it makes sense they are one of the teams interested in Sacramento’s Zach LaVine.
LaVine averages 20 points for his career and can play all three backcourt positions. He is an elite shooter who can create off the dribble and get to the free-throw line. However, he movement does not have to have the ball in his hands to be effective as he excels at attacking closeouts. Here is the thing: the Bucks likely can’t afford to deal for LaVine unless they involve another team as a result of LaVine’s salary. Plus, the Bucks don’t have many draft assets.
Anfernee Simons may be the Bucks’ only realistic trade candidate due to those limited resources. Boston has been looking to move the 26-year-old guard since acquiring him from Portland this summer. Simons, who makes $27 million, is an elite perimeter shooter and shot-creator who moves well without the ball. The 26-year-old also has a good first step and can get to the rim, drawing fouls.
Simons averages 13 points and 2.3 threes in 23 minutes off the bench. Simons has scored in double-figures on 18 occassions, hitting the 20-point mark four times. Perhaps the Celtics would be willing to do a trade for Kyle Kuzma. If that were to happen, the Bucks would likely have to swing another trade to solidify the wing.
The Bucks could use a two-way forward, but trading for Trey Murphy or Herb Jones doesn’t figure to be realistic. As New Orleans is likely to receive many offers if it decides to deal with Murphy or Jones.
Other Players That Reportedly Have Piqued The Bucks’ Interest
NBA Insider Jake Fischer reported earlier today that Jerami Grant is also a potential target for the Bucks. Grant has bounced back from a poor 2024-25 campaign and is averaging 20 points once again. He has increased his production to 22 points a game in December and has scored 20 points on 11 occassions, including three games of 30 or more points. Additionally, the 31-year-old has become nearly a 40% shooter from deep since joining Portland.
Grant doesn’t make a lot of sense for the Bucks, except that he gives them a second reliable go-to scorer. Grant is making $32 million in 2025-26 and is owed another $70.6 million over the next two seasons. However, as Fischer noted, if the Bucks can get one of their draft picks back from the Lillard trade, then it may be worth it.
Fischer also mentioned Andrew Wiggins and Dejounte Murray as possible options for the Bucks. Both players make sense for the Bucks, but Murray, who is still recovering from an ACL injury and has not made his season debut, may not be able to really help the Bucks this year, as it will take time for him to get back in form. Wiggins is having one of the best shooting seasons and excels at attacking the rim.
What If The Bucks Decided to Be Sellers
Any trade would likely be an attempt to pacify Antetokounmpo. But it may be in their best interest to be sellers and look to move Antetokounmpo this offseason, if not before the trade deadline.
Obviously, trading Antetokounmpo would signal a rebuild or at least a retool. The Bucks are expected to nab two or three blue-chip prospects and four or five first-round picks (including pick swaps).
Myles Turner probably won’t be dealt, but who else could the Bucks trade? Bobby Portis and Kuzma are the other two players most likely to be handled that would bring some sort of haul back.
Kuzma has been a disappointment since being acquired from Washington at last year’s trade deadline, but he still projects to net the Bucks either a protected first-rounder and a young reserve, plus salary fillers.
Portis is one of the best sixth men in the league. He could bring the Bucks a young player and multiple second-round selections. Gary Trent Jr., Green, Ryan Rollins, and Porter Jr. are other players who could be moved for assets. Trent Jr. probably has the most value and is likely the only player of the four who could be swapped on his own.
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