Bucks Reportedly Looking For 'Impact' Type Player Ahead of Trade Deadline

Following a happily dominant 125-96 victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday night, the Milwaukee Bucks improved to a solid 25-17 record on the season and further strengthened their hold on the No. 4 overall seed. They now lead the fifth-seeded Indiana Pacers (24-20) by two games.

Sources have told Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN that the Bucks are looking to make a move this year. Bontemps and Windhorst consider Milwaukee to be desperate to make a move and find a high-level piece to help augment nine-time All-Star power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

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"The Bucks have been active this trade season, sources said, with Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton all expected to be available in potential moves to bring back an impact player," Bontemps and Windhorst write. "Like Phoenix did, the Bucks have only their 2031 first-round pick to trade, but they also need to shed around $6.5 million in a deal to get below the second apron to be able to combine players in a trade."

Middleton still is a net positive as a basketball player, although his defense has fallen off mightily from his All-Star prime, and his $31.7 million contract is generous for his current production and health. Portis is probably the best-value asset among the three former 2021 championship contributors listed, although he's a sixth man at best and never had a defensive prime to regress from. Connaughton is out of Doc Rivers' rotation entirely, having been replaced by the younger AJ Green.

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"As the Bucks have shown going back to when they made the Damian Lillard trade last year, they are determined to maximize every bit of Giannis Antetokounmpo's title window," Bontemps and Windhorst add.

The ESPN duo note that, given how good Antetokounmpo has been this year, the Bucks front office appears to be aware that the team's personnel around him may not be enough to help the club compete for a second title during the Antetokounmpo era.

"And, with Antetokounmpo playing at an MVP level again this season, Milwaukee is hoping it can make upgrades over the next couple of weeks to challenge the Cavaliers, Celtics and Knicks atop the conference — against whom the Bucks are 0-8 this season," Bontemps and Windhorst note.

This year, Antetokounmpo is averaging 31.3 points on 60.3 percent shooting from the field and 58.4 percent foul line shooting, 12.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.4 blocks and 0.8 steals in his 36 healthy games. He's playing stellar defense and looking like he's in line for his third MVP honor. Assuming the Bucks can play better than they have been, at least.

The 2021 Finals MVP scored 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the floor, grabbed 12 rebounds, passed for four dimes, and blocked three shots in 31:56 against Miami.

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