Mannix Sources: Bucks Targeting Wings With Interest in Two Players

Rival teams continue to view Milwaukee as a buyer at the trade deadline to reinforce its core around Giannis Antetokounmpo. Plus, the Clippers’ turnaround amid a six-game win streak.

The Bucks are targeting upgrades on the wings to pair with forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

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Hello again from Los Angeles, home of the white-hot Clippers, winners of six in a row after Thursday’s beating of the Utah Jazz (some version of the Jazz, at least). I popped into the Intuit Dome for the game. Got a little dicey there for L.A. after a hot start but (another) Kawhi Leonard scoring binge put Utah away in the fourth quarter.

Do you believe in miracles?

Perhaps a midseason turnaround by the once lifeless Clippers wouldn’t qualify, but watching L.A. win six straight games has been something to see. Credit to Kawhi Leonard (who has been spectacular), James Harden (ditto) and Brook Lopez, who has been excellent since the injury to Ivica Zubac, but it’s the Clippers rediscovering their defensive identity that has rivals taking notice.

Consider: Over the last six games the Clippers are No. 1 in defensive rating (105.6), opponent scoring (98.2) and opponent three-point percentage (27.9%), the latter of which they lead by a country mile. They have a double-digit lead in net rating over the next closest team during this stretch and are the only team in the NBA holding opponents to single-digit fast break points.

“I think it’s our newer guys understanding the foundation of what we’re trying to do defensively,” coach Ty Lue said. “And then I think lately just having our bigs up more on the pick-and-roll, so they’re not able to come off shoot pullup threes, pullup jump shots. So they got everything. That allows [Kris Dunn] and Kawhi to be more aggressive on the backside to create steals. And that’s what we’ve been able to do. And so the point of attack, our guards getting into the basketball, our bigs being up, and then on weak side being active as well, trying to play for steals.”

Across the hall, Jazz coach Will Hardy noted the tweaks the Clippers have made to their pick-and-roll defense. Hardy, though, had a simpler explanation for L.A.’s recent run.

“I see a team right now that’s playing with a ton of urgency and desperation,” said Hardy. “Obviously Kawhi’s individual plays gets talked about a lot. But I haven’t seen some massive overhaul in terms of like coverage … but besides that, I think it really comes down to just their physicality.”

Is it sustainable? “We did it last year,” Lue said. Indeed, the Clippers were a top-five defense last season, which is what made their sinking to the bottom of the league so perplexing. Lue believes the defensive identity L.A. is playing with can be permanent, or at least it should be. It’s a message he has been drilling into his team every night.

“Every time we stepped on the floor last year, it’s about defense and how we got to stop teams,” Lue said. “And so finally getting back to that, I think the guys are understanding what we need. I think guys getting in better shape has been key to that as well. But just having that mindset every night, we go on the floor. We got to start the games with a defensive mindset, and as of late, the guys have been doing that.”

Bucks targeting wings

Two steps forward, one step back, or at least that’s the case in Milwaukee, where the Bucks followed up back-to-back road wins over Chicago and Charlotte with a stinker of a home loss to Washington—Milwaukee’s second loss to the eight-win Wizards this season. Said a disappointed Giannis Antetokounmpo, “We gotta grow, man. We gotta understand what position we are right now, and I feel like a lot of people don’t understand it.”

Each loss gives social media a reason to fire up the Antetokounmpo trade rumors, but rival teams continue to see the Bucks as prospective buyers headed into next month’s trade deadline. Milwaukee has canvassed the market for available wings, with Sacramento’s Zach LaVine and Malik Monk emerging as potential trade targets, sources confirm to Sports Illustrated.

Kings guard Zach LaVine could be a target for the Bucks. / Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

The Bucks have had interest in LaVine in the past and love his ability to score and create off the dribble. Monk has dipped in and out of the Kings’ rotation this season, but he’s a 40%-plus three-point shooter who is a couple of years removed from being one of the NBA’s top sixth men.

Milwaukee isn’t flush with assets; it can deal a first-round pick in 2031 and has some movable eight-figure contracts in Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis, but that’s about it. But don’t underestimate the creativity of the Bucks’ front office. Milwaukee has made 17 trades since 2020, per ESPN, repeatedly finding ways to add talent. Ownership is all in—it was willing to eat nine figures of Damian Lillard’s money to sign Myles Turner—and Bucks general manager Jon Horst is among the savviest deal makers in the game. Don’t discount his chances of pulling another rabbit out of his hat.

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