Within the first hour of free agency, the front office was busy as they managed to re-sign several key players in Bobby Portis, Jevon Carter, and Wesley Matthews while also bringing in Joe Ingles. Aside from that one hour, it has been radio silence on Milwaukee’s end, but given general manager Jon Horst’s track record, he is likely not done tinkering with the roster. While the Bucks do not have the most financial flexibility at the moment, Horst could look to improve his team through trades, as there are several compelling names that would be worthwhile targets. With all that being said, here are five trades to help the Milwaukee Bucks strengthen their roster.
The Utah Jazz has been busy lately as they have traded away two starters within the last week. The first was Royce O’Neale, who was sent to the Brooklyn Nets, but the bigger domino was their decision to trade Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a significant haul of draft picks and players. If Utah is looking to move more pieces and retool, the Milwaukee Bucks should make an offer for Rudy Gay, as the veteran forward could help patch several of the holes on their roster.
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Gay has made a living in the league over the past 16 years as a scorer, having averaged a quality 16.3 points per game in that timeframe. Although the forward had his least productive season to date in 2021-22, having averaged single-digit points for the first time in his career, that could be attributed to him playing a career-low in minutes as well. With proper minutes, Gay could provide second-unit scoring, which is exactly what the Bucks need. Per NBA.com.stats, Milwaukee’s bench ranked 27th in bench points per game during the 2021-22 regular season, which proved to be a notable flaw in the postseason. As they look to eliminate that issue, adding a reputable scorer as Gay could undoubtedly help the cause.
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Versatility is another factor that should make Gay a desirable target for Milwaukee, considering they also lacked that this past season. Standing at 6-foot-8, 250lbs, Gay is capable of playing either forward position, and he could be the answer to Milwaukee’s current predicament at the power forward position. The roster lacked a small ball four heading into the playoffs, which took away their ability to truly be at their best when Mike Budenholzer put Giannis Antetokounmpo at the center. Though the Bucks did add a power forward in Joe Ingles that could hypothetically play this role, he is coming off ACL surgery and will likely not be ready until early 2023. In the meantime, Gay could fill in and line up next to Antetokounmpo when the Bucks go to these lineups, providing more scoring and quality rebounding.
As for the trade package itself, it is a simple one. To match Gay’s $6.2 million salary for next year, the Bucks could include George Hill and Rayjon Tucker. Hill will be on the books for $4 million for the 2022-23 season, while Tucker is currently on a non-guaranteed deal worth $1.8 million. The Bucks would have to add a second-round pick in here as a sweetener, as it seems like the Jazz is collecting picks lately. To get a player like Gay that would immediately make the Bucks better is a worthy package to consider.
Draft:
Milwaukee owes Houston their 2023 first-rounder, a bunch of firsts to the New Orleans Pelicans thanks to the Jrue Holiday trade (their 2025 and 2027 firsts as well as a pick swap in 2024 and 2026), but due to the Stepien Rule where a team can’t trade consecutive first-rounders ahead of time, they only control their own pick every other year until 2028. That makes this year an oddity. The Milwaukee Bucks hold the 24th selection in the 2022 NBA Draft, but all signs are pointing toward them trading it for a veteran player.
However, there is a way around the rule where Milwaukee can agree to trade ahead of time with another team, draft the player they want at no. 24, and then immediately trade him. That appears to be the way Horst and company are leaning, as they try to use their limited assets to get the Bucks back to the NBA Finals after falling short in the second round this year.
