The Milwaukee Bucks are 1-11 in their first season without Giannis Antetokounmpo, and a new report shows how Milwaukee is approaching the market. According to ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel, Myles Turner and Kyle Kuzma are the two players the Bucks have been trying to move since the offseason began. At the same time, Siegel reports, Milwaukee hasn’t been receptive to calls about Jaime Jaquez Jr. or Ryan Rollins.
Bucks Trade Market: Turner and Kuzma Are the Names Milwaukee Is Shopping
Siegel’s Nov. 13 report names the Bucks and the Clippers as the two teams expected to be open to hearing offers for “virtually any of their players” as the deadline approaches. Within that, Turner and Kuzma are the two Milwaukee has actively tried to move, according to sources.
The two cases are different. Kuzma’s $20.3 million expiring contract makes him the easier piece to move. Turner’s deal runs longer, and his slow start complicates things. By one recent count, he was averaging 7.1 points on 34.6% shooting while Kel’el Ware waited behind him.
The timing matters too. In about a month, almost every player who signed a contract in free agency becomes eligible to be traded, and the deadline comes in February.
Why Jaquez and Rollins Are the Real Story
The more revealing line is who Milwaukee isn’t shopping. Siegel reports the Bucks have not been receptive to calls about Jaquez or Rollins. That implies other teams are asking.
Jaquez came to Milwaukee as part of the Giannis trade with Miami, which makes him one of the clearest pieces of the post-Giannis plan. He has averaged 15.2 points in the early going. Rollins had eight points and 10 rebounds in Friday’s loss to Orlando. Siegel’s report doesn’t say either player is untouchable, only that Milwaukee hasn’t been receptive so far.
What the Bucks Trade Market Says About Milwaukee’s Direction
The picture isn’t a roster in full retreat. Milwaukee is willing to listen on nearly anyone, according to Siegel, but its actual shopping list is short. The two players on it are veterans whose contracts and ages fit a rebuild less than the players Milwaukee is protecting.
That doesn’t mean a deal is coming. Turner’s salary and production create obstacles, and Kuzma still needs a team willing to take him on. But the Bucks trade market already has a shape: two names Milwaukee is trying to move, and two young players it seems to want to keep.
Bucks Trade Market: Two Veterans Available, Young Core Protected