The Bucks have dealt away draft picks and constructed a nightmarish salary-cap sheet to appease Giannis Antetokounmpo. When in a hole, a sane person stops digging, but an ambitious one digs to China and emerges on the other side … as long as Earth’s mantle doesn’t melt them shortly into the journey.
Chances are slim that Milwaukee would part with its only tradable first-round pick, league sources said. Instead, it could aim to acquire a distressed asset, using Kyle Kuzma’s $22.4 million and/or Bobby Portis’ $13.4 million salaries to add a player of consequence, someone who makes above his market value (which is why his team would trade him) but brings in firepower.
The Sacramento Kings’ Zach LaVine fits the description, though his $49 million player option for next season has scared off most front offices. The Memphis Grizzlies are unlikely to part with Ja Morant for a return as small as what Milwaukee could offer. The Brooklyn Nets’ Michael Porter Jr. is a worthwhile proposition, but Porter, a fringe All-Star this season, might have played his way out of a trade like this one. Brooklyn has rehabbed Porter’s value enough where it would like value in return for him, league sources said.