NBA Trade Rumors: Thon Maker Requests to Be Dealt by Bucks, Eyes Bigger Role

After seeing a reduced role in his third year in the NBA, Milwaukee Bucks center Thon Maker has reportedly requested a trade, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Maker wants to play for a team that "would provide a larger role for the former lottery pick."

The 21-year-old is averaging 4.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game this season while averaging just 11.7 minutes per contest.

He started 46 games over his first two campaigns and averaged 16.7 minutes per game last season, but he has exclusively come off the bench in 35 appearances this year.

Maker has only played 31 total minutes over the team's last eight games and did not play in three of them.

From the player's perspective, a trade would make sense if it allows him to showcase his skill set and potentially land a larger contract. He is eligible for a rookie extension this summer and would be a free agent in 2020 without a new deal.

With averages of 12.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per 36 minutes in his career, the 7'1" center has shown he can be an impact player when given the opportunity.

On the other hand, the Bucks are title contenders this season and enter Saturday with the best record in the NBA at 35-12. Even with veterans Brook Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova on the roster, it wouldn't make sense for Milwaukee to make a trade that would weaken the rotation.

The best-case scenario would be to use Maker as a centerpiece in a deal that would bring back an impact player.