NBA Trade Deadline 2012: The One Trade the Milwaukee Bucks Must Make

Bucks Trade: Andrew Bogut, Stephen Jackson and Drew Gooden

Rockets Trade: Kevin Martin, Samuel Dalembert, Hasheem Thabeet and Knicks No. 1 Pick

Let me be very clear before fans from both teams start wondering how in the world this trade is realistic: This trade is a financial trade for the Bucks and a talent trade for the Rockets. Period.

The Milwaukee Bucks are going nowhere—absolutely nowhere. As is, they have a lottery-bound team with a bad financial situation, which is just about the worst position to be in as an NBA team.

Andrew Bogut is the Bucks' best player and a fantastic center in the league, perhaps the second-best center when fully healthy.

He is also injury-prone.

If the Bucks can dump the contracts of malcontent Stephen Jackson and Drew Gooden (who has an insanely lengthy and relatively expensive contract) for mere expiring contracts, they will be happy to include Bogut, especially if they can land a solid player or two.

Trading Bogut, Jackson and Gooden for two expiring contracts in Thabeet and Dalembert, as well as an All-Star talent in sharpshooting Kevin Martin and a first-round pick in this year's deep and talented draft, is something the Bucks would be wise to consider.

This trade would save the Bucks around $45 million in salary over the length of the contracts.

As for the Rockets, they were desperate to land Pau Gasol and would be thrilled to acquire the bigger, stronger, younger and cheaper Andrew Bogut. I do believe they would be willing to take on the salaries of Jackson and Gooden to land Bogut.

This is a trade that should happen for the sake of both teams' futures.