Bucks signal buyer’s stance ahead of Feb. 5 trade deadline
bucks-signal-buyers-stance-ahead-of-feb-5-deadline
The Milwaukee Bucks are pursuing upgrades rather than divestitures as the Feb. 5 trade deadline approaches, team sources told ESPN’s Jamal Collier.
Despite a 13-19 record that currently leaves the club outside the Eastern Conference play-in positions, the front office believes the roster can still be strengthened for a second-half push, according to the report.
Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo reinforced that outlook after Saturday’s victory in Chicago. “I’m here. I’m here. I’m here,” he said. “It’s disrespectful to my teammates and the organization to ask if I don’t want to be here. As long as I’m here, I’m going to give everything I have, even in the last second of the game.”
Milwaukee has explored possible deals for Zach LaVine, Malik Monk and Jerami Grant, league sources told Collier. Any move is complicated by a limited asset pool; the Bucks hold only one tradable first-round pick, and general manager Jon Horst is reluctant to part with it unless the return is clearly transformative.
Rival executives are monitoring the situation, waiting to see how aggressive Milwaukee can be with its constrained draft capital. The organization could have additional picks available in the summer, but internal sentiment suggests urgency.
“My legacy is on the line,” Antetokounmpo said. “This is how I feel every day I walk in here.”
Source: Hoops Wire
