The Milwaukee Bucks have signaled in the past that when things have gone wrong, they will make substantial roster changes if given the opportunity.
They made a trade like that when acquiring Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers in 2023. It hasn’t exactly worked out, but the Bucks have made it clear that they want to win while they still have Giannis Antetokounmpo in his prime. It appears the opportunity may present itself again.
Marc Stein reported on The Stein Line that the Bucks have not been swayed against trading for Jimmy Butler, though that doesn’t mean a trade is imminent.
“League sources have confirmed a report from The Athletic’s Sam Amick from earlier this week that Milwaukee — unlike Memphis — has received no whispered messaging intended to discourage the Bucks from trading for Butler,” Stein wrote. “Whether that means Milwaukee eventually emerges as a Butler suitor remains to be seen.”
The tricky part about Bucks trading for Butler
Butler would be a good target for the Bucks, but they can’t aggregate contracts in a trade for him because they are a second-apron team. It’s not impossible, but Stein explained the lengths the Bucks would have to go to acquire an expensive star like Butler.
“The reality in Milwaukee, in any case, is that the Bucks can’t make a trade run… unless they first dodge second apron restrictions by finding a taker for Pat Connaughton’s $9.4 million contract in a deal that does not require them to take back salary.”
Connaughton’s contract isn’t too expensive. However, teams potentially interested in taking it from the Bucks will want assets attached, especially because Connaughton has a player option he will likely opt into.
If the Bucks are serious about acquiring Butler, they’ll have their work cut out to make a trade. Even if it will be hard, at least Butler isn’t out of the realm of possibility for them.
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