The Milwaukee Bucks are mostly deprived of draft capital but aren’t completely out of it. They still have one first-round pick to dangle in a trade.
If the Bucks plan to use it, they must use it wisely.
One player who could be worth trading the final first-round pick for is Zach LaVine. The Chicago Bulls guard is an All-Star-caliber player, but he’s also commonly regarded as overpaid, as he’s in the third of a five-year, $215.6 million contract.
ESPN proposed a four-way blockbuster trade between the Bucks, Bulls, Toronto Raptors, and Houston Rockets that would send LaVine to Milwaukee.
Bulls receive: Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, 2031 top-two protected first-round pick
Bucks receive: Zach LaVine
Raptors receive: MarJon Beauchamp, Cash considerations
Rockets receive: Delon Wright, Cash considerations
LaVine makes plenty of sense on the Bucks. He’s having a career year for the Bulls, averaging 24 points while shooting a scoring 51.1% and 44.6% from three. He’d be an excellent scoring presence that could fit the Bucks and help their chances of winning another title. The Bucks and LaVine joining forces isn’t mere speculation, as Milwaukee has interest in him, per K.C. Johnson.
However, even if LaVine is overpaid, he’s played well enough this season that the Bulls have every right to ask for more than one first-round pick for him. Chicago also knows how desperate Milwaukee is to capitalize on their window with Giannis Antetokounmpo. If the price is more than one first-round pick, he might be out of reach for Milwaukee. That’s not the only problem.
The Bucks will have to find a new home for Pat Connaughton to make a trade like this to happen. Milwaukee is above the NBA’s second tax apron, so they can’t aggregate contracts until Connaughton is off their payroll.
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