While their on-court value for the Milwaukee Bucks suggests something else, Brook Lopez and George Hill won’t be coveted aspects of any trade the team makes this offseason. Lopez was astronomical defensively during the 2019-20 NBA season and Hill was the most accurate 3-point marksman in the game, but neither is going to be the centerpiece of a deal that transforms the Bucks.
The same applies to Milwaukee’s No. 24 overall pick, which probably shouldn’t be traded. Without the assurance that Giannis will be back after next year, the Bucks need young talent to lean on down the line and that No. 24 pick could be valuable in a draft without an obvious consensus.
However, the pick isn’t high enough to have the value that one in the high-teens might for teams trying to make a deal. Likewise, Hill and Lopez are players who could be separates for any group looking to compete, but most trade partners are trending in the opposite direction with their high-quality players leaving in the potential move.
Primarily, Lopez and Hill make sense in a possible trade because of their respective salaries. Combining Lopez, Hill and the 24th pick may help the team land someone who could help right away. Unless that lands them one of the guys mentioned previously, which it most likely wouldn’t, the standalone trade value of these three pieces just isn’t enough to get a deal finished.
Milwaukee Bucks</a> need to insert themselves into trade conversations. Though official reporting is scarce, there’s been a general expectation amongst NBA writers and analysts that Milwaukee could be a suitor for either Chris Paul or Jrue Holiday — defensive-minded guards who can shoot the 3-ball and run some offense.</p>
<p>They could pivot and swing for a noteworthy big or forward. To do that, the Bucks’ front office needs to push their chips to the center of the table. Losing Giannis Antetokounmpo would be catastrophic for Milwaukee’s hopes at building a contender. A team with Khris Middleton as its go-to scorer isn’t one with a chance to compete for a title, so nothing is too drastic during the offseason.</p>
<p>Though it’s unlikely he’ll be dealt this offseason, Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal makes a lot of sense for this Bucks team. It’s worth considering Buddy Hield, Gordon Hayward, Victor Oladipo and LaMarcus Aldridge as players who could help Milwaukee push the needle via trade. However, opposing general managers will be able to smell the desperation in the air when dealing with Milwaukee, so a trade won’t come easily.</p>
<p>We’ll start by highlighting some nice auxiliary pieces that would help facilitate a trade, but ultimately, there are three pieces that could be centerpieces in any deal the Bucks make.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/11/01/ranking-the-milwaukee-bucks-trade-chips-heading-into-the-2020-nba-offseason/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Honorable Mentions </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-412619" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/11/01/ranking-the-milwaukee-bucks-trade-chips-heading-into-the-2020-nba-offseason/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1066,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1074614928.jpeg" alt="Milwaukee Bucks" width="1600" height="1066" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1074614928.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1074614928-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Milwaukee Bucks’ auxiliary trade chips: No. 24 pick, Brook Lopez & George Hill</h2>
<p>While their on-court value for the Milwaukee Bucks suggests something else, Brook Lopez and George Hill won’t be coveted aspects of any trade the team makes this offseason. Lopez was astronomical defensively during the 2019-20 NBA season and Hill was the most accurate 3-point marksman in the game, but neither is going to be the centerpiece of a deal that transforms the Bucks.</p>
<p>The same applies to Milwaukee’s No. 24 overall pick, which probably shouldn’t be traded. Without the assurance that Giannis will be back after next year, the Bucks need young talent to lean on down the line and that No. 24 pick could be valuable in a draft without an obvious consensus.</p>
<p>However, the pick isn’t high enough to have the value that one in the high-teens might for teams trying to make a deal. Likewise, Hill and Lopez are players who could be separates for any group looking to compete, but most trade partners are trending in the opposite direction with their high-quality players leaving in the potential move.</p>
<p>Primarily, Lopez and Hill make sense in a possible trade because of their respective salaries. Combining Lopez, Hill and the 24th pick may help the team land someone who could help right away. Unless that lands them one of the guys mentioned previously, which it most likely wouldn’t, the standalone trade value of these three pieces just isn’t enough to get a deal finished.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/11/01/ranking-the-milwaukee-bucks-trade-chips-heading-into-the-2020-nba-offseason/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Trade Chip No. 3 </a>
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<p>Would Milwaukee trade Middleton for Oladipo or Paul? Probably not, but maybe they’d be willing to trade him for the next disgruntled superstar looking for a change of scenery. His salary will match up with players of that caliber and his All-Star status holds throughout the league. Still, it wouldn’t make a ton of sense to move him for a player at or below his skill-level since Middleton and Giannis have amazing rapport.</p>
<p>The only reason this list exists is that the Bucks need Giannis to re-sign or stay past next season. Obviously, the reigning MVP would be the squad’s best trade chip, but they’re not going to move him barring news that would shake the entire league at its core. So, Middleton is the next-best player on the roster and while he’s incredibly efficient, who knows if Middleton could be the separator that Milwaukee needs as a No. 2 guy.</p>
<p>Middleton might be better served as a No. 3. Having a hyper-efficient scorer and defender who can match up with multiple positions and rain 3-pointers? Sounds perfect! He can play on the ball in certain scenarios and off it in others, helping out wherever he needs to position his team for success.</p>
<p>Middleton is the Bucks’ best trade chip for this offseason, but it’s highly unlikely he actually gets moved.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Five former Milwaukee Bucks who'd fit this current team" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2020/06/01/milwaukee-bucks-5-former-players/" data-call-to-action="Next"
> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/11/01/ranking-the-milwaukee-bucks-trade-chips-heading-into-the-2020-nba-offseason/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/2020/06/01/milwaukee-bucks-5-former-players/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Five former Milwaukee Bucks who'd fit this current team </a> </div>
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