Bucks land a pair of Wisconsin natives in proposed trade with Warriors

On By Littum

The Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA Cup championship Tuesday night in Las Vegas, proving they belong among the league’s elite ranks of contenders.

Their front office has an opportunity to further bolster the team’s standing before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, despite the hurdles of various second base restrictions.

Recent reports have revealed that the Bucks are targeting a lob threat to complement Brook Lopez. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors have already been active in the trade market by acquiring Dennis Schroder from the Brooklyn Nets. The Bucks and Warriors early season activity on the trade market could lead to a deal between the two playoff hopeful organizations.

A trade could look like the following proposition:

Bucks receive: Brandin Podziemski, Kevon Looney

Warriors receive: Pat Connaughton, Delon Wright, 2031 first round pick, 2031 second round swap

Connaughton and Wright are primarily included to help match salaries. In addition, the draft capital involved could be consolidated to entice an opposing front office to part with win-now talent. Because the Warriors are in the playoffs, a deal of this magnitude is unlikely, as Podziemski and Looney are key rotation pieces.

The 28-year-old Looney would serve as the lob threat the Bucks’ front office is currently seeking. Not to mention, Looney is a Milwaukee native. The 6-foot-9 big man would provide the Doc Rivers-led Bucks with a cromulent backup to Lopez. Currently, they rely on Bobby Portis to play out of position. This season, Looney has taken 85 shots within five feet of the basket while he only attempted 22 shots further afield. However, he is not the lob threat the Bucks want with zero alley-oops at this point in the season.

Podziemski, who also hails from Wisconsin, would give the Bucks another reliable ball-handler. The second-year guard finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting a season ago. The 21-year-old is shooting just 27.1 percent from three on 3.7 attempts per game this season after shooting 38.5 percent on 3.2 attempts per game as a rookie. Regression can approach as the sample size grows. Podziemski would bolster the depth of Doc Rivers’ rotation and would be extremely beneficial financially as he is on an affordable contract and clearly belongs in an NBA rotation.

MORE BUCKS NEWS: The Bucks cut ties with the NBA champion in favor of desired lob threat in the proposed trade with the Hawks