Breaking Down the Milwaukee Bucks' Best Trade Bait
Even though the Milwaukee Bucks are forging an identity as a young, competitive team early on during the 2014-15 season, if they're active come the trade deadline, they'll likely still be sellers. That means the pieces they have to dangle as trade bait become extremely important.
Given that team chemistry currently seems great, dealing someone will be a difficult decision when the time comes. However, despite the solid start, fans should still remember it's all about the future for the Bucks.
And in order to maximize future potential, trading veterans or players with large contracts may be necessary.
But which players on the roster are most likely to be dealt?
O.J. Mayo
Mayo seemed determined to put the 2013-14 season behind him when, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, he shed 15 to 20 pounds over the summer.
He's also taken a noticeable step in the right direction when it comes to his leadership abilities. Just watching him on the court, you can tell he's a different teammate than he was a season ago.
But, despite these changes, Mayo hasn't made a whole lot of progress on the floor.
The veteran is posting a career low of 10.9 points per game and is shooting just 40.2 percent from the field. Even worse is his three-point percentage of 29.0. And while his playing time has been a bit sporadic as of late, it shouldn't be impacting his game this much.
Couple that with the fact that Mayo is making $8 million a year, and he becomes more of a hindrance than an asset moving forward.
Clearly, though, the numbers don't seem to indicate the Bucks' phone will be ringing off the hook should they decide to make him available, but even with the struggles, he may be appealing for a contender.
Mayo's numbers can be overlooked. He's still a solid role play who can come in and knock down threes for you at a fairly solid clip—and it would be surprising if he continued to struggle this much the rest of the year—and he's not a terrible defender.
The problem is his contract.
There are few teams who would be willing to take on Mayo's deal, especially considering what he is currently producing. However, it's probably also not out of the question.
Mayo thrived with the Dallas Mavericks in 2012-13, and it's possible the Bucks just aren't a good fit for him.
Don't be surprised, though, if you see Mayo's name being tossed around as trade bait as we get closer and closer to the February trade deadline. If the Bucks can get rid of him, they will—if for no other reason than to free up some cap space.
Ersan Ilyasova
Aside from Mayo, the player who is most likely to be dealt—and rightfully so—is Ilyasova.
The 6'9" stretch 4 is making $7.9 million per year and, last season, didn't come anywhere close to living up to that hefty chunk of money.
After a slow start to 2014-15, Ilyasova was starting to get into a groove before injuring his nose and needing surgery on it. In his previous nine games, he was averaging 15.0 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting a scorching 55.1 percent from the floor and very good 43.3 percent from three-point range.
And that's the Ilyasova you would expect for a guy being paid as much as he is.
Unfortunately, consistency hasn't recently been one of the Turk's strong suits.
Add that to the fact that, at 27, he's one of the team's oldest players and is the team's third-highest-paid player, it's hard to make an argument for keeping him around.
If he returns from his injury and continues to produce, that will only continue to elevate his value on the trade market when that time comes. If the Bucks were offered a first-round pick for Ilyasova, it would be in their best interest to accept that offer.
Dumping salary and getting draft picks is never a bad thing for a team in rebuilding mode.
That's something moving Ilyasova would likely provide.
If the Bucks do decide to become sellers, Ilyasova is one of the best candidates to get rid of and, in some ways, would be better to deal than Mayo simply because he would probably net more of a return at this point.
Still, he's technically not old and if he can stay healthy, he could play a role in this team's future, especially if the Bucks plan on shopping the next player we're going to discuss.
John Henson
Henson has had a curious start to 2014-15, especially after making significant strides a season ago.
The lengthy 23-year-old improved on his rookie season last year by increasing his numbers across the board and averaging 11.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.7 blocks while shooting a stellar 53.8 percent from the floor.
Logically, one would have assumed he would see major minutes this season and continue to take big strides in the proper direction.
However, that hasn't happened.
Henson, who is out with a sprained ankle, has appeared in just 14 games this season and has averaged just 12.2 minutes on the floor during those appearances.
It has been peculiar to say the least.
Perhaps head coach Jason Kidd has yet to figure out how to use him in the rotation, but that shouldn't be hard to do when you consider what Henson brings to the court. His ability to score on the block is something that no other Buck can do on a consistent basis. Additionally, he is a game-changer on the defensive end.
Still, the appeal of trading Henson is there.
He's young, he's big, he's athletic and he has a lot of potential.
There would be plenty of teams lining up to propose the Bucks a trade for the lanky power forward. If he isn't in their future plans, they definitely should consider dealing him at the trade deadline.
However, I believe there is still a spot for Henson on this team. Kidd just hasn't realized it yet.
* Statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference and current through December 17th *
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