The Milwaukee Bucks are looking to improve on their last two playoff runs, which ended with them being eliminated in the first round. If there’s no improvement on that front, Milwaukee will look to add more help this offseason.
The Bucks already tried to shake things up by trading Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma, and there’s no telling where that will get them. Even if the trade doesn’t help them this year, landing Kuzma could just be the start, as the Bucks may try adding more winning players. One player who fits that label is a playoff opponent with whom the Bucks are familiar.
Bleacher Report floated Middleton’s teammate Marcus Smart as a trade target for the Bucks. The 2022 Defensive Player of the Year has helped the Washington Wizards ever since the Memphis Grizzlies traded him there. The Wizards have gone 5-4 in the games Smart has played for the team.
It demonstrates how much Smart can still help the teams, even if he’s been injury-prone over the past two seasons. Smart also has a history against the Bucks, as he helped the Boston Celtics beat them in two playoff series—2018 and 2022.
Before the trade deadline, this would have sounded implausible. However, the Bucks’ swap of Middleton for Kuzma saved them enough money to be below the NBA’s second tax apron, so aggregating contracts is now an option for them.
The Bucks will also have more assets to offer. By getting under the second tax apron, Milwaukee’s first-round pick in 2032 is unfrozen, making it eligible to be traded. That asset could hold a lot of value, which might be all the Wizards need to give Smart up to the Bucks.
Smart has his warts as a player, but he has proven he helps teams win. The reward would outweigh the risk.
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