The Milwaukee Bucks are widely believed to be involved in one of the first trades of this season due to the combination of their poor performance and championship expectations.
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City were already missing Isaiah Hartenstein and recently lost Chet Holmgren for an extended period of time.
These injuries leave the Thunder without much size and extremely weak depth at the center position, so they should be on the market for a usable big.
Lior Lampert of Fansided proposed the following trade:
Bucks receive: Isaiah Joe, Kenrich Williams
Thunder receive: Brook Lopez
For the Thunder’s front office, this deal is a no-brainer. Lopez would provide the Thunder with valuable floor-spacing for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, along with effective rim protection on defense. Also, Lopez can be played next to Holmgren, once healthy.
The Bucks would need at least one first-round pick in order to agree to this deal–Lopez is too important of a rotation piece.
Lampert detailed the Bucks’ current financial situation, writing, “They don’t have control of their first-round pick until 2031 and are above the second apron. So, upgrading the roster will be challenging.”
This point only adds to the notion that Milwaukee should seek out at least one first-rounder as part of this potential deal.
This trade would leave the Bucks with Giannis Antetokounmpo as their best rim protector, and Bobby Portis as their starting center–not ideal. The backup five spot would be a significant weak spot as Doc Rivers would be forced into playing second-round pick Tyler Smith and/or two-way player Liam Robbins.
However, Williams would provide the Bucks with much-needed versatility and depth at the power forward position. Additionally, Joe could start at the two, alongside Damian Lillard. Joe is a knockdown three-point shooter and would space the floor significantly around Antetokounmpo. Despite this, it would be surprising for the Bucks’ front office to move on from Lopez for such a mediocre haul.
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