Bucks Trade Rumors: Milwaukee 'Desperate to Dump' Tony Snell's Contract

The Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly looking to trade small forward Tony Snell during the offseason to relieve some of their salary-cap stress.

According to Gery Woelfel of Woelfel's Press Box, some NBA officials believe the Bucks are "eager" and "desperate" to dump Snell's contract, which will pay him around $11.4 million next season and includes a $12.2 million player option for 2020-21.

The Bucks are on pace to be above the luxury-tax threshold, although finding a way to trade Snell would make things more manageable for general manager Jon Horst.

One NBA executive suggested to Woelfel that Milwaukee will have a difficult time moving Snell considering his contract and lack of production: "He's just not a good value. I know they brought in some guys at his spot like [Pat] Connaughton, but his [Snell's] play has leveled off too. I think the only way they can move him is if they package him with a pick, for instance. But he's already traded two [future] No. 1s, so that won't be easy to do that, either."

In 74 regular-season games in 2018-19, Snell averaged 6.0 points and 2.1 rebounds while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from three in 17.6 minutes per game. Overall, that represented his worst production since 2015-16 with the Chicago Bulls.

Tony Snell Throws it Down

Snell also hasn't been a factor during Milwaukee's run to the Eastern Conference Finals (nine games, 3.1 MPG). Just two seasons ago, he averaged 10.0 points per game in six playoff outings for the Bucks.

The 2016-17 season was Snell's best from essentially all angles, as he averaged 8.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game during the regular season while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from deep.

He was a key contributor for the Bucks during Jason Kidd's time as head coach, but he has not been a significant part of Mike Budenholzer's rotation. The 27-year-old Snell's career three-point percentage (38.2) suggests there's a role for him somewhere, but moving him may prove difficult.