Bucks Given Strong Odds to Land Star Defender in Trade

Ricardo Klein | Nov 25, 2024

Nov 22, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III (35) rebounds against the Houston Rockets during the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images / Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks were off to a slow start in the season, but they have recently played great basketball. 

They have won six of their last seven games and are now not too far from a top seed in their conference. It helps that the Eastern Conference isn't as deep as the Western Conference; nonetheless, the Bucks are taking advantage of the opponents in front of them. 

Still, the Bucks have a long way to go, and it is evident that they need to make a trade to bolster their roster. 

There will be plenty of players on the trade market that could help them get over the top, but as things stand, they are the favorites to land defensive star Robert Williams III from the Portland Trail Blazers. 

According to Bovada Official, the Bucks are tied with the second-best odds to acquire Williams in a trade before the 2025 NBA trade deadline. 

The Bucks have +500 odds, tied with the New Orleans Pelicans and the Sacramento Kings. The New York Knicks have the best odds to land Williams with +225 odds. 

The Bucks may be finding themselves this early in the season, but their defense is far from where it needs to be to compete at a high level. 

They are middle of the pack in many categories, including 16th in opponent points per game (112.9), 16th in opponent average score margin (-0.2), 25th in opponent fastbreak points per game, and 19th in opponent total rebounds per game (53.1). The Bucks rank 17th in defensive rating at 112.3. 

If they can land a player like Williams, it will certainly bolster their lineup and defense. Although Williams is injury-prone, there is no doubting his defense and rebounding ability. 

However, Williams has trouble staying healthy. He has only played in 227 games in his seven-year career and has not played more than 61 games in a season. 

Williams showed off his true ability with the Boston Celtics in the 2021-22 season. He finished that season averaging 10.7 points per game and 9.6 rebounds. He finished seventh in Defensive Player of the Year voting and was named to the All-Defensive team. 

Although Williams only stands at 6-foot-9, he has a 7-foot-6 wingspan. Williams averages 1.7 blocks in his career. 

If the Trail Blazers indeed make him available for a trade, the Bucks should be among those to give them a call. 

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