Bucks News: Current Roster Setup Leaves Milwaukee With Limited Trade Path

Ricardo Klein | 21 Hours Ago

Jan 24, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst address the media after head coach Adrian Griffin (not pictured) was dismissed at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks are among the few teams looking to change their roster significantly. 

More Bucks: Bucks Blockbuster Trade Proposal Sends Damian Lillard to East Rival

The Bucks will look to capitalize on whatever championship window they have alongside their superstar forward, Giannis Antetokounmpo. The trade deadline is less than a month away; however, the Bucks are limited in terms of resources and cap space. 

Miwkaukee has a ton of question marks on who they could trade for or who they could deal with. In Jim Owczarski's last column, he addressed the one team they can trade with, and it is a familiar foe. 

"It always takes two to tango, but under these scenarios any trade might require three or more teams – which makes such deals that much trickier to navigate. It is also important to note that only Detroit has available cap space to absorb money – but a team (or teams) are going to have to send the Pistons draft picks to use that space as a waystation.

"What’s more, of the 28 other teams the Bucks could trade with, 12 have no open cap room (and many of them are not willing luxury-tax payers), 12 are hard-capped at the first apron and four are hard-capped at the second apron.

"That means nearly every team in the league would have a lot of work to do to make any deal fit their respective constraints.

"So while the Bucks have their limitations, they may yet be aided by other team’s constraints also i.e. swapping one veteran for another without draft pick “sweeteners” in the hope a change of scenery is what each player needs."

The Bucks are currently over both the first and second aprons above the luxury tax, which significantly hampers their ability to acquire players via trade. 

If they want to trade for a prime-time player, they'd need to give up one of their own stars, including Khris Middleton or Damian Lillard. 

Since they are $17.3M above the first apron, they cannot send out more money than they take back in a trade.

The Bucks are in a tricky spot, but while making a trade is difficult given their current state, it is not impossible. 

Bucks general manager Jon Horst has done great work thus far since leading the team in 2017. While the Bucks have looked better lately compared to the first weeks, it is clear they need a trade to reach the next level. 

More Bucks: Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Provides Hilarious Update on Finger Injury