NBA Trade Rumors: Raptors' Fred VanVleet Pursued by Bucks at Deadline

Despite coming out of the trade deadline with Jae Crowder, the Milwaukee Bucks were exploring another deal to help them at point guard.

Appearing on The Rally, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium said the Bucks pursued Fred VanVleet in the days leading up to the deadline.

Crowder was the main focus for Milwaukee for a long time leading up to the trade deadline. Charania reported on Jan. 30 that the Phoenix Suns gave permission to the Bucks to meet with the 32-year-old wing.

The Bucks wound up landing Crowder as part of the four-team deal headlined by Kevin Durant going from the Brooklyn Nets to Phoenix.

The Bucks subtracted from their depth at point guard on Thursday by trading George Hill to the Indiana Pacers, along with Jordan Nwora and Serge Ibaka.

Jrue Holiday has been their starting point guard for the past three seasons, but he has experience at shooting guard. If the Bucks had been able to pull off the deal for VanVleet, head coach Mike Budenholzer could have moved Holiday to the two-guard spot.

Even though there were weeks of rumors and speculation about the Raptors as potential sellers, they didn't move any of their notable players. Their biggest move at the deadline was adding Jakob Poeltl in a trade with the San Antonio Spurs.

VanVleet's future will be an interesting topic of discussion this offseason. He can become a free agent by declining his $22.8 million option for 2023-24.

The Bucks could still bring in help at point guard very soon. They were connected to Derrick Rose ahead of the trade deadline, per SNY.tv's Ian Begley.

There's no indication that Rose will receive a buyout from the New York Knicks, but he hasn't appeared in a game since Dec. 31.

Milwaukee is in a good position right now regardless of what happens with its point guards. The team has a 38-17 record, one game behind the Boston Celtics for the best mark in the NBA.