With the NBA trade deadline less than three weeks away, the Milwaukee Bucks are expected to make a big move to upgrade their roster amid a disappointing 17-24 start to the season.
Bucks Are No Longer In The Luxury Tax
According to ESPN’s Jamal Collier, the Bucks are not in the tax for the first time since the 2019-20 season and not hard capped at either apron, meaning they could “acquire a player with multiple years remaining on his contract.”
Collier mentioned two players as potential trade targets ahead of the deadline.
“The Bucks can accept a larger contract with multiple years beyond this season that an opposing team might be trying to get out from under, such as Miami’s Andrew Wiggins, who owns a $30 million player option for next season, or Charlotte’s Miles Bridges, who will make $22.8 million in the 2026-27 season,” he wrote.
Milwaukee reportedly had expressed interest in Wiggins back in November.
Through 37 games (all starts) this season, Wiggins is averaging 15.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.1 blocks, and 31.8 minutes per outing while shooting 46.8% from the field and a career-best 40.2% from deep.
Per Spotrac, Wiggins is earning $28.2 million this campaign and has a $30.2 million player option for 2026-27. This is part of the four-year, $109 million contract extension he signed with the Warriors in October 2022.
Bridges, meanwhile, is averaging 19.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 33.4 minutes per game through 40 appearances (all starts) with Charlotte, with a shooting line of 44.8/34.3/84.8.
The 6-foot-7 wing is currently in the second season of a three-year, $75 million contract. He’s earning $25 million this campaign and is slated to make $22.82 million in 2026-27.
Milwaukee Has Struggled Without Giannis
Simply put, the Bucks have been one of the worst teams in the NBA when Giannis Antetokounmpo is off the court. Milwaukee is 3-11 without the two-time MVP in the lineup this season.
Their offensive efficiency also drops to 107.6 without Antetokounmpo, the worst mark in the league.
The Bucks reportedly have been “aggressive on the trade market,” mulling potential roster upgrades and inquiring about key players to teams in efforts to “avoid wasting a year of Antetokounmpo’s prime,” per Collier.
Either Wiggins or Bridges could help Milwaukee, but the Bucks still aren’t a player away from contending for a title. Trading away Jrue Holiday to acquire Damian Lillard in September 2023 was a poor decision.
The Bucks then sent Khris Middleton to the Wizards for Kyle Kuzma at last season’s trade deadline. Kuzma hasn’t averaged at least 20 points and six rebounds per game since his days with Washington.
Nothing has gone right for the Bucks ever since they traded away these players.
Collier also noted that Milwaukee last month discussed other realistic trade candidates, including “Sacramento’s Zach LaVine and Malik Monk as well as Portland’s Jerami Grant.”
The Bucks were showing “a level of interest” in Lavine earlier this season.
