Bucks could free themselves of Kyle Kuzma, fill backcourt needs in one fell swoop in slam-dunk trade proposal

Kuzma’s value is nothing near Kuminga's, but both players are hybrid small/power forwards with good athleticism — one of the former’s few positive qualities. If the Kings want to get more athletic, Kuzma could give them a lesser version of Kuminga while they muck through a confused period of team-building.

Malik Monk would bring obvious benefits to Milwaukee — he can create his own shot, set up teammates, be that secondary scorer and facilitator behind Giannis. Last season he dished out a career-best 17.2 points and 5.6 assists per game.

His drop in three-point efficiency is somewhat concerning. On career-high volume, his 32.5% hit rate was his worst since 2019-20 in Charlotte. After a pair of seasons at or near 40%, his shooting dipped once he came to Sacramento in 2022-23. Still, if he can boost his percentage to the mid- or upper 30s, the Bucks could stomach non-elite shooting alongside his passing skills and scoring off the bounce.

Milwaukee Bucks might sacrifice minimum by acquiring Monk in depressed market

Moreover, his decreased efficiency might grant Milwaukee a slight discount in any trade. Guards of his mold seem to be going very cheap this offseason anyway.

Miami got Norm Powell, a borderline All-Star last year, with much better shooting splits, for a bag of beans. Jordan Clarkson, who signed with the Knicks, was bought out by Utah. The Jazz also flipped Collin Sexton, plus a second-round pick, for universally unwanted center Jusuf Nurkic.

Small, offense-first guards have simply not had high trade value. Monk should be worth more as a non-expiring contract, but the 6-foot-3, subpar defender fits the foregoing label.

Monk’s deal has three years and about $57 million remaining. He’s a tradeable asset were he and the Bucks to reach a parting of ways down the road. For the Kings, a franchise headed in no particular direction, getting off three seasons of Monk in exchange for two years of Kuzma would at least save some money.

Is a one-for-one swap possible? That seems unlikely, as Milwaukee, not Sacramento, is the team in more urgent contender status. Given the guard market, however, burning a first-round pick might be rather rich. Perhaps the two sides get creative for something like this:

Bucks get: Malik Monk, Sacramento’s 2026 second-rounder

Kings get: Kyle Kuzma, Milwaukee’s lottery-protected 2031 first-rounder

Even with the lottery protection, surrendering a high-value pick hurts, but it would be worth contributing to a win-now contender in Giannis’ prime.