The Milwaukee Bucks are looking to convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to remain in the Cheese State by showing him they are committed to winning. While the Bucks have struggled this year, they are reportedly looking to add another scorer to complement Antetokounmpo before the trade deadline.
Bucks Reportedly Interested In Acquiring Scoring Point Guards, Who Is A Better Option: Morant Or LaVine?
According to Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee has interest in trading for disgruntled Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant. Owczarski’s report comes on the heels of ESPN Shams Charania’s report on Friday that the Grizzlies were entertaining offers for Morant.
Morant, who has struggled to stay healthy for much of his career, has seen his production decline over the last three years. Morant is having the worst season of his career, averaging just 19.0 points on 40.1% from the field and 20.8% from deep. The 26-year-old also doles out 7.6 assists and grabs 3.2 boards while recording 1.0 steals.
Morant is currently dealing with a calf injury and has only played in 18 games this year. Morant also has served a suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. He has played only 77 games since the beginning of 2023 and has never played more than 67 in his career.
For his part, Morant is reportedly open to a change of scenery, per NBA Insider Marc Stein.
“The sense I have, at this juncture, is that Memphis wants its rebuild to revolve around Jaren Jackson Jr. after the Grizzlies made salary-clearing moves this past offseason to enable them to renegotiate and extend Triple J’s contract,” Stein recently said. “Some around the league actually viewed that chain of events as the unofficial shift for the franchise to become Jackson-centric rather than Morant’s team.”
Owczarski added that the Kings also continue to be intrigued by Sacramento’s Zach LaVine. However, he said the Kings and Bucks reportedly haven’t had conversations as of last week.
Why Milwaukee Bucks Interest?
Antetokounmpo, who has a player’s option for 2027, reportedly wants to contend for championships, and the Bucks want to convince him that Milwaukee is the place to be. For his part, Giannis has not requested a trade.
While there is still over half a season left, Milwaukee is in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. The Bucks, who have won just one playoff series over the last four seasons, sit 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 17-22 record. Following their 108-104 loss to Denver last night, they are now one-and-a-half games behind 10th-place Chicago and three-and-a-half games back of 8th-place Miami.
Granted, Milwaukee came into the season knowing there would be rough patches after not doing anything to help their backcourt while also releasing Damian Lillard. Antetokounmpo has been fantastic, though he has missed 13 games. Despite struggling mightily against Denver last night, Kevin Porter Jr. and Ryan Rollins have been god-sends. AJ Green has slowed down considerably after a red-hot start. Meanwhile, Myles Turner, Gary Trent Jr., Amir Coffey, and Cole Anthony have been major disappointments.
While Milwaukee has its issues defensively, defending the 3-point line and fouling, the Bucks’ biggest issue has been on the offensive end. The Bucks rank 25th in scoring at 112.9 points a game and 22nd in offensive efficiency. They are a good shooting team, but they don’t get to the free-throw line or rebound the ball on the offensive end. Turnovers are also an issue.
Ja Morant or Zach LaVine
Morant and LaVine would definitely improve the Bucks’ offensive production. Morant would help Antetokounmpo put pressure on the rim, which none of the Bucks currently do. His ability to get downhill would force defenses into rotation-heavy schemes, thus opening space for shooters and dump-offs—Antetokounmpo, Turner, and Bobby Portis.
If Morant were to find his way to Milwaukee, most defenses would have a difficult time dealing with Morant -Antetokounmpo pick-n-roll. Morant’s addition would also allow Antetokounmpo to operate as a short‑roll playmaker.
While Morant is at his best stressing defenses with his speed, he is not a great shooter. On the other hand, LaVine is an elite-level shooter who does his best work in the halfcourt and on the perimeter.
LaVine ranks in the top 100 of the NBA in shooting percentage across the board. LaVine is a three-level scorer who doesn’t need the ball in his hands all the time.
A key difference between the Morant-Antetokounmpo duo and the LaVine-Antetokounmpo pairing is how they operate. Morant and Antetokounmpo would be co-directors. Meanwhile, the pairing with LaVine and Antetokounmpo would still be the primary engine, with LaVine being counted on to punish opposing defenses by knocking down open shots.
With LaVine on the court, Antetokounmpo would have more operating room, whether posting up or on drives. He would also make it easier for the Bucks to integrate into existing halfcourt sets. LaVine is only an average defender, although he is better on that end than Morant.
Trade Scenarios
Milwaukee is $11.5 million under the luxury tax and $19.5 million below the first apron. So, the Bucks have plenty of room to add salary. The problem is that they don’t have much in terms of matching wages and limited draft picks. They own five first-rounders from now until 2032, though they control only the 2031 and 2032 first-rounders, and most likely no second-round picks.
Morant is making $39.4 million this year and is owed $87 million over the next two seasons. Conversely, LaVine makes $47.4 million this year, and he has a player option for $48.9 million in 2027-28.
Here is the problem for the Bucks: they would need a third to do a deal for LaVine. On the other hand, the Bucks theoretically could acquire Morant by sending Kuzma, Porter Jr., Gary Harris, and a 2031 first-round pick. The Bucks would have sent those three players or used a third team to make a deal work for salary-matching purposes.
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