Zach Lowe proposes big trade between Pistons and Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks have pulled off arguably the biggest move of the NBA offseason with the trade of point guard Damian Lillard. But that doesn’t mean Milwaukee’s regular offseason is over. NBA analyst Zach Lowe believes the Bucks could still be active and pursue another trade. In fact, he has proposed a deal between the Bucks and the Detroit Pistons.

As part of the trade, the Bucks would acquire Croatian forward Bojan Bogdanović, who was only traded to the Pistons right before the start of the 2022-23 season. In exchange, the Bucks would send either Bobby Portis or Pat Connaughton to the Pistons, as well as a future draft pick. Such a trade could potentially help both teams in different ways. It could also shake up the odds for the 2024 NBA championship in Milwaukee’s favor. Fans have more options than ever when it comes to NBA betting. There are individual game bets, prop bets, and futures bets, as well as several betting platforms that are legal in dozens of states.

Even with the addition of Lillard, the Bucks are under a little bit of pressure to make some bold moves that position themselves as bonafide title contenders. Star player Giannis

Antetokounmpo appearsreluctant to sign an extension with the team until he knows that the team is committed to winning another championship in the near future. The 28-year-old still has three years left on his current deal, although he’s a player the Bucks want to keep happy. With much of Milwaukee’s core outside of Giannis made up of aging veterans, the Bucks could use some new faces on their roster.

With Bogdanović, the Bucks wouldn’t necessarily be getting any younger. But they would be getting another reliable scoring threat, especially one who doesn’t play the same position as Lillard or Giannis. Bogdanović averaged a career-high 21.6 points per game last season and has averaged at least 18 points per game in four of the last five seasons. Despite being 34, he’s still playing at a high level. The Bucks could also keep him for two more seasons, using him to make another championship push while Giannis is still in his prime. At the same time, giving up Portis or Connaughton wouldn’t be a deal-breaker for pursuing another championship.

The other side of the trade

From Detroit’s perspective, keeping Bogdanović on the roster for another year or two isn’t helping the Pistons. Theywon just 17 games last season and are miles from being a competitive team. A veteran player like Bogdanović isn’t helping their rebuilding efforts. Also, he likely doesn’t want to stay in Detroit and play for a rebuilding team at this point in his career. Meanwhile, either Portis or Connaughton would be an immediate asset for Detroit, playing a larger role with the Pistons than they would for the Bucks.

The kicker for the Pistons is adding a future draft pick. In particular, Detroit could push for Milwaukee’s 2029 first-round pick, especially if it’s an unprotected pick. By that time, the Bucks might be beyond their championship window, making that a valuable pick. While that might seem too far into the future, it would make sense for the Pistons, potentially giving them a valuable draft pick after completing their rebuild and in a position to contend. In that sense, the type of trade that Lowe is proposing appears to make sense for both the Pistons and Bucks.