The Milwaukee Bucks struggled without Giannis Antetokounmpo in the lineup. Antetokounmpo missed four games with an adductor injury, and the Bucks went 0-4 in those games. In fact, the Bucks have lost eight of their last nine games.
It’s pretty clear that Milwaukee needs some help. They have the eighth-worst defense in the league despite adding Myles Turner to the lineup. Turner was supposed to help them with rim protection and keeping points out of the paint. Yet, the Bucks are allowing the eighth-highest shooting percentage inside five feet.
A trade proposal from Bleacher Report has the Bucks fighting their defensive issue by adding more offense. This trade would likely give Milwaukee an offensive boost by adding James Harden to the fold as the de facto point guard.
GettyJames Harden gestures in a game. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Milwaukee Bucks Add James Harden In Trade Proposal
Here is the full trade proposal:
Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Kyle Kuzma, Gary Harris, Kevin Porter Jr., 2030 first-round swap (less favorable of Milwaukee and Portland), 2031 first-round pick (lottery protection)
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: James Harden
This trade would once again punt on first-round draft picks in order to keep Antetokounmpo happy. With reports that Antetokounmpo was considering leaving Milwaukee for the first time in his career over the summer, the Bucks are desperate to hold on to him.
Harden gives the Bucks someone who can orchestrate the offense. He can still score a monster amount of points, too, as evidenced by his 51-point outburst against the Mavericks earlier this season. Adding a reliable scorer next to Antetokounmpo might be necessary.
Kuzma is a sunk cost at this point. That deadline deal from a year ago did not work out, although it was a worthwhile gamble. Gary Harris is old, and Kevin Porter Jr. is not good enough to be a starting point guard. LA needs to go for a rebuild, and this is the best way to facilitate that.
GettyGiannis Antetokounmpo drives into the paint. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)
The Bucks Are in Dangerous Territory
With the losing streak, the Bucks have now fallen to 11th in the Eastern Conference standings. They are in danger of missing the playoffs completely, which would be an epic disaster. Turner has slowly started playing better, but he’s not good enough to be the second-best player on a team.
They signed Turner to a four-year deal worth $108.9 million this summer. In order to make that work, the Bucks had to use the waive-and-stretch on Damian Lillard. They will pay him around $22.5 million to not play for the team for the next five years.
This experiment has not worked well so far. If things continue to go this way, teams will start to call about Antetokounmpo’s availability at the trade deadline. While it’s unlikely the Bucks would trade him midseason, next summer could become very uncomfortable.
Adding a player like Harden would further kick the can down the road, which might be the most likely scenario for the organization to take. He could certainly help them turn things around this year.
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