Giannis Antetokounmpo ‘putting pressure’ on Milwaukee Bucks to make trade for All-Star

Milwaukee Bucks identified two-time All-Star as trade target

Sources revealed to Haynes that the Bucks are targeting two-time All-Star Zach LaVine from the Sacramento Kings to add firepower to their roster. 

LaVine’s tenure in Sacramento has soured, as the team has started the season 6-21, ending a promising era of Kings basketball. That could turn the Kings into sellers in the trade market, as they look to rebuild their roster. 

Haynes explained to NBA on Prime: “The latest right now is the Milwaukee Bucks are in desperate pursuit in trying to look out on the trade market and see if they can bring in a difference-maker type of player.

“Sources have relayed to me that they are canvassing the market, and one of the guys that I’ve identified is Zach LaVine and the Sacramento Kings. He is one player that they have done their homework on.

“There haven’t been any concrete, serious talks at this point, but he’s somebody who is on their radar as Giannis Antetokounmpo has put some pressure on the Bucks to make some moves. The Bucks I am told are buyers, and they are trying to find a way to bring in a difference-maker type of player onto their roster.”

For the Bucks, it would be a desperate, last-gasp move. They have exhausted their resources trading for Damian Lillard and by signing Myles Turner from the Indiana Pacers this summer. 

The high-flying LaVine would be by no means a perfect fit, clogging the lane for Antetokounmpo, but with Milwaukee’s resources, options are limited, and it’s probably the best they can do.

Milwaukee Bucks would have to give up recently signed star to trade for Zach LaVine

Unfortunately for the Bucks, they are unable to build a big three with Antetokounmpo, Turner and LaVine. They would have to trade one of them to bring him in, so Turner is already on the trade block.

That’s because of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), where Milwaukee finds itself deep into the second apron. The only way to match LaVine’s $47.5M salary is with Turner’s contract.

An easy way for them to make the salaries work is to combine Turner and Kyle Kuzma’s contracts, while packaging some draft picks to incentivize Sacramento to make the trade. 

How many picks the Kings would demand is difficult to know, but it’s likely they would have to mortgage more of their future to bring in LaVine. That would be tough to justify, as they don’t appear to be one move away from the title.

But to keep Antetokounmpo, it seems the Bucks would do anything.