3 Most Likely Bucks to Be Traded Before the 2024-25 NBA Season

As the 2024 NBA Summer League continues, many Milwaukee Bucks fans are already looking ahead to the 2024-25 campaign. After all, the Bucks have a lot of work to do to make up for the disappointing end to the 2023-24 season that saw them suffer an embarrassing first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Indiana Pacers.

Having said that, fans shouldn’t expect that much of a different roster compared to last year’s group. The likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and Khris Middleton combining for over $127 million towards the 2024-25 salary cap meant general manager Jon Horst’s hands have been tied, limiting him to signing veterans Delon Wright and Taurean Prince to minimum contracts.

In other words, if the Bucks want to make any more moves, they’ll likely have to look to the trade market. Any potential deals can’t be done without a sacrifice, though, meaning Milwaukee must move one of its current contracts to bring in any sort of help.

With that in mind, here are three Bucks who are the most likely to be traded before the 2024-25 NBA season.

When it comes to rumored Bucks traded this offseason, veteran center Brook Lopez has been at the center of a large chunk of them.

The 36-year-old big man’s name is often involved in trade talk due to the $23 million salary he’s scheduled to earn next season. It’s hard not to look at that number and fantasize about the Bucks using it to land another All-Star-quality player to play alongside Antetokounmpo and Lillard.

Brook Lopez with the POSTER 😤 pic.twitter.com/eKxOGzAF5S

— ENJ🏀Y (@EnjoyBBall) April 22, 2024

Lopez is still one of the best rim defenders in the league, but moving him would help the Bucks shed his salary while getting younger in the process. Although he’s still playing 30 minutes per night, the ex-Stanford’s production is starting to slow down, proven by the 12.5 points on .485/.366/.821 splits and 5.2 rebounds he averaged last year.

Lopez’s production improved once the playoffs arrived, but that had more to do with his opportunities increasing due to Antetokounmpo and Lillard’s injury situation. The aging center still looked slow on the floor and the fact that he isn’t getting any younger suggests that things could get worse.

There’s also the fact that Lopez is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent next summer. If Milwaukee doesn’t see a return in the cards, it makes sense to move on from him now to get a return rather than lose him for nothing in 2025.

Even though he’s provided Bucks fans with great memories for six seasons, now might be the right time to say goodbye to Lopez if the offer is right.

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Publish date : 2024-07-16 12:00:02

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