Top 3 Milwaukee Bucks Who Could Be Traded in 2024-25

With the 18-man roster officially set ahead of the 2024-25 season, these are the three Milwaukee Bucks players who could come up in potential trade talks throughout the year.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (9) celebrates with fans after scoring a basket in the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Fiserv Forum. / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks have already filled out their 18-man roster ahead of the upcoming season, but there's at least a chance all of them won't make it through the entire year in a Bucks uniform.

It's been a quiet offseason across the NBA in relation to trades, but the Bucks could break that trend within the next month or even later down the line during the regular season before the trade deadline if the right deal comes about. General manager Jon Horst and the rest of the Bucks front office have shown their willingness to make moves, most notably by swinging a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers for superstar Damian Lillard right before last season, leaving reason to believe they can do it again.

The free agent acquisitions of Delon Wright, Taurean Prince and Gary Trent Jr. all bring versatility by being able to play multiple positions, which makes a handful of Bucks players more expendable in trade conversations. With that said, let's highlight some names that could potentially be dealt at some point throughout this year.

1. Bobby Portis

Scheduled to make around $12.6 million this season with a $13.4 million player-option in 2025-26, Bobby Portis may just be the most desirable trade asset the Bucks have on their roster. Over the past handful of seasons Portis has fell victim to trade rumors and that doesn't seem likely to change this upcoming year.

As of late, Portis has been a routine fixture when it comes to the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year voting after finishing second in the voting in back-to-back seasons dating back to 2022-23. Since joining the Bucks in 2020-21, Portis has averaged 13.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 40.3 percent from beyond the arc. While he does have his defensive limitations, he's regularly been the Bucks' sparkplug off the bench offensively and as a rebounder. Those two things are something every NBA team would love to have from the bench.

Being that he's currently making less than $13 million, Portis is on a more than favorable deal given his production. There are plenty of teams that would be willing to trade for him to inject a offensive boost to their bench. However, due to the second apron luxury tax, the Bucks would need to find a player who makes the same or less, and there's not many players that meet that requirement. Because of the limited options of players who can produce at Portis' level while remaining in a similar salary range, the two-time Sixth Man of the Year runner-up could stick around in Milwaukee at least through this season.

Even though it could be difficult to move Portis due to the second apron limitations, there's no doubt Jon Horst has made him available in trade discussions in the past. Even if it's just to test the market to see what kind of haul they could get in return for his services.

No. 2 Pat Connaughton

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers talks with guard Pat Connaughton (24) during the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers during game five of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Fiserv Forum. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Having signed Gary Trent Jr. for an absolute steal of a deal earlier this offseason, Pat Connaughton seems to have found himself as the most expendable player on the Bucks roster heading into 2024-25.

Over the past two seasons, Connaughton has looked like shell of his former self. As a player who played a key rotational role during the Bucks' 2021 NBA championship run, the former Notre Dame standout has regressed mightily. His three-point shot has been off, his defensive presence has regressed and he's looked to have lost a lot of his bounce. It's unclear as to how much Connaughton can be of service for another potential title run.

Trent is expected to fill the void as the team's starting shooting guard and younger players such as AJ Green and Andrew Jackson Jr. each offer more upside at this point in Connaughton's career. On top of that, all three of them make less than Connaughton's scheduled $9.4 million salary for this upcoming season. When younger and much cheaper players can potentially offer more upside, it could raise the question about a potential trade.

Due to his decently-sized salary, the Bucks could potentially land a solid rotational piece in exchange for Connaughton. However, it would definitely come at a cost being Milwaukee would likely have to attach some sort of draft capital to finalize a deal. If a quality player hits the trade market, then it could be worth moving Connaughton for depth purposes.

3. MarJon Beauchamp

After recent reports from NBA analyst Brian Windhorst stated that the Bucks told Brook Lopez that he is safe from trade talks, there are limited options when it comes to other players on the roster that could be dealt. Unfortunately for MarJon Beauchamp, he seems to be next in line.

Entering his third season after being selected 24th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, Beauchamp comes into this year with little to no hype. He's failed to crack the rotation throughout his first two seasons and didn't seem to do himself any favors playing in the Summer League earlier this summer.

In four NBA Summer League matchups, Beauchamp had a rather poor showing. He averaged 12.8 points and 3.5 turnovers while shooting just 32.7 percent from the floor and 30.4 percent from deep. It was not the type of production that the Bucks were looking for from a third-year player going up against mostly unproven first- and second-year youngsters.

His value is about as low as it could be right now, but there's still a chance a team could take a flyer on the former first-round pick. Scheduled to make roughly $2.7 million, Beauchamp is an affordable piece for any team to take a risk. Perhaps a young team like the San Antonio Spurs or Detroit Pistons could make sense for the wing if given a fresh start.

The odds of getting anything of value outside of a second-round pick for Beauchamp would be slim. Yet, even if that were to be the case it could free up a roster spot for the Bucks to grab another free agent or even target the buyout market later down the line this season.

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