Windhorst and Bontemps of ESPN report that the three vets could be had for the right price
There are just two short weeks until the February 6 trade deadline in the NBA and the duo of Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps of ESPN dropped some nuggets about the Milwaukee Bucks today. According to the report, the Bucks would be willing to move on from three veterans from their 2021 title-run core, including Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, and Pat Connaughton, for an impact player:
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps, the Milwaukee Bucks are willing to trade veterans Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, and Pat Connaughton for an “impact player.”
www.espn.com/nba/insider/…
— Jackson Gross (@jgrossreporter.bsky.social) 2025-01-24T20:17:39.622Z
There are some roadblocks to a potential deal: the fact that they only have one first-round pick to trade (in 2031) and that to combine players in a trade, they’d have to cut $6.5m in salary in said trade or beforehand to get beneath the second apron. There has been some speculation and rumors that the Bucks could get someone like Bradley Beal from the Phoenix Suns if they decided to get involved in a three or even four-team deal for Jimmy Butler. Yet (thankfully) Chris Haynes dashed the idea that the Bucks were interested in Beal, saying that no connection between the two sides for a potential trade:
Sources: A Milwaukee Bucks, Bradley Beal connection is nonexistent. #haynesbriefs
www.youtube.com/@HaynesBriefs
— Chris Haynes (@chrisbhaynes.bsky.social) 2025-01-23T01:36:19.109Z
Whether I think trading any three of these former NBA champions is a good idea is tough to say. I think it’s pretty obvious that Connaughton’s days in Milwaukee could end soon, with him riding the bench most nights in favor of Ryan Rollins and Gary Trent Jr. Bobby Portis has been the subject of many trade articles (I have written two in my two years with the site) and while I see his offensive value, he’s a negative on defense, and the type of offense he provides isn’t very efficient.
Lastly, there’s Khash, and for me, if it’s the right player, I’d be ok with seeing him go. While it’d be a hard pill to swallow to see one of the best dynamic duos in franchise history be separated, it’s hard not to see the regression Middleton has had this season. At his price tag of nearly $31.6m this season and potentially $34m next year if he exercises his player option at age 34, it could be a challenge for the Bucks to keep him around.