The Milwaukee Bucks made one of the biggest moves of the NBA season by firing coach Adrian Griffin and replacing him with Doc Rivers. As the NBA trade deadline nears, the Bucks reportedly could make a second big move to improve their championship hopes.
Milwaukee fired Griffin, a first-year head coach, following a 30-13 start as the team sat near the top of the NBA standings. While the Bucks were winning games, issues behind the scenes with players growing frustrated by Griffin and issues on the defensive end forced a change.
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With the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 8 closing in, Milwaukee is now trying to make another big move as the team continues adjusting to a new coach brought in mid-season. While there isn’t an All-Star talent available right now, there are impact players Milwaukee seems to be very interested in.
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Bucks are very committed to improving their roster with the front office “shopping hard” for help ahead of the NBA trade deadline. With a few assets available, Milwaukee is believed to have an interest in Dejounte Murray, Bruce Brown and Andrew Wiggins.
In terms of what the Bucks would package to acquire either of those players, a deal would likely include Bobby Portis, Cam Payne, Patt Connaughton and the 35th overall pick. Portis would need to be in the deal in order for Milwaukee to add a player with a bigger salary.
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- Dejounte Murray stats: 21.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.3 SPG, 122 Defensive rating
Murray, who is shooting 37 percent from the perimeter this season for the Atlanta Hawks, has not rated well as a defender this season. In nearly 3,000 minutes played, he ranks 72nd among shooting guards in FiveThirtyEight’s Defensive RAPTOR (-1.1).
Brown would be a much better addition purely in terms of his defensive value. This season for the Indiana Pacers, Brown has a 120 Defensive Rating and ranks 25th among shooting guards in Defensive RAPTOR (+0.8).
Wiggins, who has been floated heavily in NBA trade rumors by the Golden State Warriors, would provide much-needed defensive help on the wing for Milwaukee. Entering NBA games today, Wiggins has the eighth-highest Defensive RAPTOR (+1.8) among small forwards and he has a 120 Defensive Rating.
One other possibility for Milwaukee is Dallas Mavericks wing Grant Williams. NBA insider Marc Stein reports that the Mavericks and Bucks held “exploratory” talks about a swap of Williams for Portis. While no deal is imminent, it’s clear what the Bucks are targeting ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
