Milwaukee Bucks' 2015 Trade Deadline Shopping List
With the trade deadline nearly a month away, some teams will be analyzing their needs and searching for one final piece to a championship push. For the Milwaukee Bucks, things won't be so shortsighted as February 19 approaches.
Despite currently holding down the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Bucks cannot approach the annual deadline with just this season in mind. Acquiring players who can help immediately is tempting, but it also has the potential to derail the future.
So, when the February deadline rolls around, will the Bucks wear the hat of buyer or seller?
Truthfully, the answer probably lies somewhere in between.
Assuming the team will make some kind of move, let's break down what exactly Milwaukee will be looking for in return. Keep in mind, acquiring a physical, on-court asset is not necessarily vital for this team.
Draft Picks
First and foremost, if the Bucks are involved in any trade, they should be seeking draft picks.
Draft picks are vital when a franchise is in rebuilding mode, which, make no mistake about it, the Bucks are still in. Having picks in addition to the one a team receives yearly is a commodity, especially if those additional picks fall in the first round.
Why?
The obvious reason is that it allows a team to obtain a number of young, talented player, and when you have the ability to take more than one player in the same round, the chances of finding future talent are greater.
Another value of having draft picks is that they're great when it comes to trade talks.
The Bucks should want additional picks, because so do other teams. This is especially true for some of the league's better teams that may not have a selection until late in the first round or, in some instances, don't have a first-round pick at all because of previous moves.
For the Bucks, packaging a 2015 second-round pick with a burdensome contract like that of O.J. Mayo may be something to consider as this year's deadline sneaks up. The veteran shooting guard is underperforming and, despite the fact he's making $8 million a year, might draw attention from a contender.
If a move like this is executed, Milwaukee would want to receive as little in return from a monetary standpoint, as it's unlikely any player it would receive in return would be of great value from a talent perspective.
Even if the Bucks were to just ditch a bad contract for a seemingly irrelevant pick, that pick may prove useful in the future.
After all, they usually are.
Big Men
Outside of just nabbing some picks, the Bucks could potentially use another low-block presence.
With Jabari Parker out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL and the uncertainty of Larry Sanders' playing status, the team is down to Johnny O'Bryant, Zaza Pachulia and John Henson down low. And while the latter two have been playing well, added depth is always nice.
To make one thing clear: Big names are not in play.
Swinging a major trade to get an impact player right now is not something that's possible or something that Milwaukee should want to do.
Even with the recent signing of Kenyon Martin to a 10-day contract, targeting another serviceable big man, like Brandon Bass of the Boston Celtics or Ian Mahinmi of the Indiana Pacers, wouldn't be a bad thing. Especially if the team is set on making some sort of move.
But, really, the Bucks don't need to make a trade to acquire a player of need. As proven with the addition of Kenyon Martin, veterans can be had through free agency at a value, and a team has the option of handing out a 10-day contract to test the waters.
In the end, if worse comes to worst, Milwaukee should acquire its needs through free agency unless the return on a trade is something it simply cannot say no to.
Ultimately, though, the Bucks don't need to do anything with their roster.
Sure, it would be nice to unload the contracts of Mayo or Ersan Ilyasova, but if that doesn't occur prior to the deadline, it's not a huge hindrance. The team is playing better than .500 and currently sits in the Eastern Conference's playoff picture.
Unless the return on whatever trade is proposed is of great value or can help the Bucks significantly in the future, it's really unnecessary with where this team is at.
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