NBA News: Milwaukee Bucks Actively Tried To Trade For Three-Time All-Star

NBA News: The Milwaukee Bucks are headed into an interesting 2023 NBA season.  After an earlier-than-expected exit from the 2023 NBA playoffs, the Bucks decided to take their organization in a new direction.  Adrian Griffin is the new head coach for Milwaukee and expectations remain at an all-time high.  After Bradley Beal was dealt to the Phoenix Suns, the Bucks will have to focus elsewhere to add to their roster.  However, the Bucks reportedly were “in” on the Beal trade.

Milwaukee Bucks Actively Tried To Trade For Three-Time All-Star Bradley Beal

Ultimately, Beal picked the Suns over multiple other trade scenarios, including Miami, Milwaukee and Sacramento, sources said. The Wizards entered serious negotiations with the Suns and Heat on Saturday, as The Athletic reported, and that’s when the Bucks re-entered the picture. Milwaukee officials spoke with Beal on Saturday to pitch him on the Bucks, league sources said. — Charania

As the framework of the trade stands now, it appears the Wizards’ most significant gain here will be in cap relief: specifically, eliminating the final three seasons of Beal’s onerous contract from the team’s books. In those seasons — the 2024-25, 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons — Washington owed Beal a total of $161 million.

Although Paul and Shamet are under contract through the 2024-25 season (including a team option for Shamet for 2025-26), Paul’s and Shamet’s combined 2024-25 salaries of $41 million — $30 million for Paul, $11 million for Shamet — are fully non-guaranteed.

What Would Have A Milwaukee Bucks-Washington Wizards Trade Looked Like?

The Milwaukee Bucks are strapped for draft picks for the foreseeable future.  In fact, Milwaukee doesn’t own a first-round pick until the 2028 NBA Draft.  They also have one in the 2029 NBA Draft.  It would be difficult to put together a trade package solely of draft picks worth the Washington Wizards’ time for a three-time All-Star.  With that being said, a trade package would likely have included Jrue Holiday or Khris Middleton.

In a recent mailbag article on The Athletic, NBA and Milwaukee Bucks insider Eric Nehm was asked about Milwaukee shaking up its roster by trading Middleton or Holiday. His response will deflate those that want to see one or both of them gone:

“Based on the Bucks’ current salary-cap table, I think this is a difficult summer to make a major shakeup with the roster.

“First, the Bucks are title contenders next season. As we discussed here at The Athletic yesterday, the Bucks currently have the third-best odds to win the 2024 NBA title, according to BetMGM. Say what you will about the predictive ability of betting odds, but they aren’t some sort of great departure from reality.

With that being said, if the Milwaukee Bucks were trying to entertain a draft package that didn’t include Middleton or Holiday, it would have likely consisted of Brook Lopez, Grayson Allen, draft picks, and more.

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