Western Conference Team Reportedly Seen as Frontrunner For Prime Bucks Trade Target

A player who the Bucks have on their radar may be snapped up by someone else instead.

Dec 28, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers directs the team against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images / Matt Marton-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks are one of the many teams in the NBA that are looking to make a move to improve the roster for a title run. They are one of the teams in the Eastern Conference that thinks they can make a run at a championship if they can get a few more pieces.

Right now, the Bucks sit fifth in the East. They are tied with the Hawks and the Heat for that spot though. One loss would suddenly send them plummeting down to seventh. They need some players who can help shore up their standing in the East and possibly get them home-court in the first round of the playoffs.

Milwaukee sits just a game and a half behind the Magic for the fourth seed, which would give them that home-court advantage that they covet. They are a whopping five games back from the Knicks for the three-seed, so that's not realistic for them to aim for.

One player who could help the Bucks possibly get to that fourth-place slot in the Eastern Conference is Cameron Johnson. Johnson is someone that a lot of teams are looking at adding. He is coveted around the league and there are multiple suitors for his services.

According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, multiple Western Conference teams have been more aggressive in pursuing him. The Grizzlies, Kings, Lakers, and Warriors have been trying to land him, as have the Orlando Magic from the Eastern Conference.

The Kings are seen as the frontrunners for his services, according to Siegel.

If one of those teams was able to grab Johnson instead of the Bucks, it would be an opportunity lost. Johnson would give the Bucks the scoring that they are missing from Khris Middleton, who is averaging the second-fewest points of his career this season.

Johnson also gives the Bucks another long guy to use on defense. It would make the Bucks even harder to score on, especially when they sit in a zone. Having the Bucks add him would also mean that another Eastern Conference team wouldn't be able to grab him.

Right now, it seems like the Bucks are far down the list of potential suitors who can make a deal. The Pacers, Heat, Thunder, and Nuggets have all been mentioned as other teams to watch for him. That means the Bucks might have to pay even more in order to get him to come to Milwaukee.

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