The Milwaukee Bucks could make a big move or two in the last weeks before the NBA trade deadline. It will all depend on who the Bucks specifically try to target.
One player who has come up is Bradley Beal, a three-time star who hasn’t fit with his current team, the Phoenix Suns. ESPN named the Bucks the “best possible fit” for Beal, citing that he has been healthier than Khris Middleton, whose injuries have limited his availability over the past few seasons.
Beal would give the Bucks someone younger and another scorer. Milwaukee has plenty of scoring with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, but perhaps adding Beal to that core would make them more lethal.
ESPN also acknowledged the caveat of trading for Beal while crossing the NBA’s second tax apron. The Bucks cannot aggregate contracts while being above the second tax apron, so trading for Beal is almost impossible.
Milwaukee could trade Pat Connaughton off their payroll to eliminate that problem, but there’s no telling if the Bucks can or will pull that off. Also, there’s something else to consider.
Bucks reportedly don’t want Beal
Though the Bucks could go for the home run swing before the trade deadline passes, Beal is not a target. On January 22, Chris Haynes reported that Milwaukee doesn’t want Beal.
What is likely a turnoff for them is how much Beal is owed for the next three years. He is in the third year of a five-year, $251 million contract. That’s a lot of money to pay for someone who hasn’t made the All-Star team since 2021, which coincides with the only team he made an All-NBA team.
The Bucks may be desperate, but they may also think Beal may not be worth the gamble. Another team might take that chance, but Milwaukee does not appear to be that team.
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