A surprising new report suggests the Milwaukee Bucks are more likely to do the opposite of what recent NBA rumors have suggested could be their trade strategy in the coming months.
The first few weeks of the Bucks 2024-25 season have been an absolute disaster. Sure, Khris Middleton has not suited up for the team. But there is more than enough talent for the roster to still have one of the best records in the Eastern Conference. However, they head into this week’s set of games with a stunning 2-7 record.
Related: Where do the Milwaukee Bucks land in our latest NBA power rankings?
The team’s shockingly bad start has reignited a debate that’s increased in notoriety over the last couple of years. And this is on if top star Giannis Antetokounmpo will be the next NBA superstar to force his way off his current team.
There were even rumors earlier in the month that teams around the NBA had started to “circle” the Bucks about a potential trade. And the Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat were tabbed as early favorites to win a potential trade chase.
However, on Saturday, one notable NBA insider looked to quiet some of the trade chatter on Antetokounmpo. By reporting a very different direction Milwaukee could go in the coming months.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo stats (2024): 30.1 PPG, 12.8 RPG, 5.3 APG, 0.8 BPG
Milwaukee Bucks more likely to buy instead of sell before the NBA trade deadline?
“I don’t see anything happening, in the interim right now. I think it is far more likely that the Bucks are looking to acquire additional help for Giannis and Damian Lillard via trade,” NBA insider Jake Fischer reported in a Bleacher Report live stream. “Those guys combined for 60-plus points in a 123-100 victory over the Utah Jazz.”
Fischer suggested that Marjon Beauchamp, Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, and Pat Connaughton are more likely to be moved to try and improve the roster around Antetokoumpo and Lillard. The Greek superstar is only 29 and still is under team control for team more seasons. So the Milwaukee Bucks would surely get a massive return in a trade.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo contract: Three years, $175.3 million
However, moving on from one of the greatest players in team history, during his prime, could easily return the franchise to what they were before he arrived in 2013. And that was often eliminated in the first round in the years they actually reached the postseason.