<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/brooklyn-nets/nba-rumors-nets-plan-remains-giannis-antetokounmpo-trade-bucks');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Nets’ ‘Plan A’ remains Giannis Antetokounmpo trade with Bucks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Nets-Plan-A-remains-Giannis-Antetokounmpo-trade-with-Bucks.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Nets’ ‘Plan A’ remains Giannis Antetokounmpo trade with Bucks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-01T11:02:47-07:00">April 1st, 11:02am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-01T13:24:58-07:00">April 1st, 1:24pm</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Brooklyn Nets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There is no shortage of paths available to the Brooklyn Nets as they navigate their rebuild. With 13 tradable first-round picks — including their own this year and next — and over $50 million in cap space, they can build through the draft or expedite their timeline with a star acquisition. They reportedly prefer the latter, with one player in mind: Giannis Antetokounmpo.</p><p>Multiple league personnel say a trade for the Milwaukee Bucks superstar <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/03/31/sports/how-nets-are-planning-to-use-flexibility-to-acquire-needed-stars/" rel="noopener">has been and remains Plan A</a> for the Nets, according to the New York Post’s Brian Lewis.</p><p>Antetokounmpo’s future has been a main NBA storyline amid the Bucks’ struggles since winning the 2021 championship. A 2022 second-round loss has followed first-round exits in the last two seasons. They appear destined for a similar fate this year with Damian Lillard sidelined indefinitely amid a 4-9 stretch over their last 13 games.</p><p>With an aging core surrounding Antetokounmpo, the Bucks have few avenues to improve. They have no cap space or intriguing young prospects and only one tradable first-round pick (2031). The soon-to-be 35-year-old Lillard is owed $113 million over the next two seasons, and their supporting cast — headlined by Brook Lopez, Kyle Kuzma, and Bobby Portis — is far from championship-caliber.</p><p>Antetokounmpo is still playing at an MVP level during his age-30 season, averaging 30.2 points, 11.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.2 blocks on 60.1 percent shooting. He has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x6zCD7NpeQ&amp;t=1411s&amp;pp=ygUYZ2lhbm5pcyBibGVhdiA0OCBtaW51dGVz" rel="noopener">said numerous times</a> that competing for a title is his No. 1 priority, and he will do so elsewhere if he needs to.</p><p>“I’m a Milwaukee Buck. But most importantly, I’m a winner. I want to win. And I have to do whatever it takes for me to win. And if there’s a better situation for me to win the Larry O’Brien, I have to take that better situation,” the two-time MVP said before the 2023-24 season.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I'm a Milwaukee Buck, but most importantly I'm a winner. … If there is a better situation for me to win the Larry O'Brien I have to take that better situation."</p><p>Giannis on his future with the Bucks. <a href="https://t.co/XzucRXtmOv">pic.twitter.com/XzucRXtmOv</a></p><p>— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1702047017432678461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>With Milwaukee’s championship window appearing to be closed, the question has become: When will the two sides move on from each other? And should the Nets cash in their chips if Antetokounmpo has them on his list of preferred destinations?</p><h2>Should the Nets expedite their rebuild with Giannis Antetokounmpo trade?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Giannis.jpg"><figcaption>Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/grading-blockbuster-mikal-bridges-trade-involving-nets-knicks-rockets">Nets’ moves this summer</a> appeared to signal a clear direction. After trading Mikal Bridges, general manager Sean Marks paid a steep price to reacquire his 2025 and 2026 first-round picks from the Houston Rockets, allowing his team to tank for a top pick in two stacked draft classes.</p><p>Brooklyn has done a far from optimal job executing that vision this season. The team is essentially locked into the sixth-best lottery odds following <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-drew-timme-outperforms-anthony-davis-fourth-quarter-comeback-win">Monday’s win over the Dallas Mavericks</a>. However, many scouts view the top of the 2026 class featuring Darryn Peterson, A.J. Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer as better than this year’s.</p><p>A Giannis Antetokounmpo trade this summer would end any chance of landing the above players and require the Nets to part with a significant chunk of their assets.</p><p>This Brooklyn regime has been down the veteran superstar path before. While the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/the-greatest-nets-era-that-never-was-a-timeline-of-kevin-durant-and-kyrie-irvings-downfall-in-brooklyn">failed Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving-James Harden big three era</a> struck fear into the team’s fanbase, its management appears undeterred. However, the situations are far from the same.</p><p>Unlike Durant and Irving, Antetokounmpo would not be coming with another star attached to him, as far as we know. The Nets’ current core consists of Cam Johnson, Cam Thomas and Nic Claxton. A trade for the Bucks star would likely require them to part with multiple of those players and a handful of first-round picks.</p><p>Brooklyn would have draft capital and cap space left over, plus Antetokounmpo and the New York market to pitch other stars on joining. Would that be enough to build a championship team within the constraints of the new CBA? How long will Antetokounmpo sustain his level of play to keep a title window open? And is that worth passing up an opportunity to draft the franchise’s first-ever homegrown superstar in 2026?</p><p>These are the questions the Nets’ ownership and front office will be mulling over this offseason. Their decision could determine the franchise’s future for the next decade.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Nets’ ‘Plan A’ remains Giannis Antetokounmpo trade with Bucks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/milwaukee-bucks/giannis-antetokounmpo-fuels-damian-lillard-glorilla-rumors-with-hilarious-bars');   ga('set', 'title', 'Giannis Antetokounmpo fuels Damian Lillard, GloRilla rumors with hilarious bars');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Giannis-Antetokounmpo-fuels-Damian-Lillard-GloRilla-rumors-with-hilarious-bars.jpg"></figure><h1>Giannis Antetokounmpo fuels Damian Lillard, GloRilla rumors with hilarious bars</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-28T09:30:24-08:00">February 28th, 9:30am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-01T15:12:50-08:00">March 1st, 3:12pm</time><address><a href="http://designsux.com">Burtland Dixon</a>As an avid enthusiast of entertainment, Burtland Dixon is a passionate individual who revels in the magic of movies, sports, music, and pop culture. Whether it's catching the latest blockbuster, watching the marquee matchup of the week, attending live concerts, or getting immersed in the world of gaming, Burtland finds joy in all forms of entertainment.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Celebrity</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Giannis Antetokounmpo is known for his dominance in the paint, but he recently showcased a different kind of talent—rapping. During a postgame interview with<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/bucks-damian-lillard-reacts-to-controversial-call-that-helped-lose-game-vs-rockets"> Damian Lillard, the Milwaukee Bucks superstar</a> unexpectedly <a href="https://www.complex.com/sports/a/backwoodsaltar/giannis-tease-damian-lillard-rapping-glorilla-lyrics" rel="noopener">broke into lyrics</a> from GloRilla and Sexyy Red’s song Whatchu Kno About Me, stealing the spotlight in a way only Antetokounmpo can, per Complex.</p><p>As Lillard was reflecting on his performance, Antetokounmpo casually walked past and belted out, “Big G-L-O in that GLE.” His delivery was confident, unfiltered, and loud enough to disrupt Lillard’s train of thought.</p><p>Laughing, Lillard shook his head and tried to refocus, but Antetokounmpo wasn’t finished. He doubled down with an excited, “I knew it; I knew it!” as teammates chuckled in the background.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Giannis with the GloRilla lyrics while Dame is getting interviewed 🔥🤣 <a href="https://t.co/9OYUtl8TT4">pic.twitter.com/9OYUtl8TT4</a></p><p>— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/RTNBA/status/1895209925695152621?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>The clip quickly went viral, with fans eating up Antetokounmpo’s energy. While Lillard, known for his own rap career as Dame D.O.L.L.A., remained composed, the moment highlighted Antetokounmpo’s love for hip-hop. Over the years, he has publicly vibed to Rick Ross, Meek Mill, and Lil Baby, but this time, his focus on GloRilla added a layer of intrigue.</p><h2>Fueling the Lillard-GloRilla Rumors</h2><p>Beyond the laughs, Antetokounmpo’s song choice raised eyebrows. For months, rumors have swirled about a possible connection between Lillard and GloRilla. Ever since Lillard’s split from his ex-wife, fans have speculated that he might be romantically linked to the rising rap star.</p><p>While Lillard has avoided addressing the speculation directly, insisting he keeps his personal life private, that hasn’t stopped the internet from running wild with theories.</p><p>With Antetokounmpo rapping GloRilla’s lyrics so enthusiastically, fans couldn’t help but wonder—was this just a funny moment, or was Antetokounmpo dropping a not-so-subtle hint? Social media exploded with reactions, with some calling for an NBA rap duo featuring Antetokounmpo and Lillard, while others suggested Antetokounmpo was playfully stirring the pot.</p><p>Whether he’s dominating defenders or dropping bars mid-interview, Antetokounmpo continues to prove he’s one of the NBA’s most entertaining figures. As for Damian Lillard and GloRilla? The rumors just got a fresh spark, courtesy of Giannis’ viral antics.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Giannis Antetokounmpo fuels Damian Lillard, GloRilla rumors with hilarious bars

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-kyle-kuzma-makes-sacrifice-play-help-bucks-trade-deadline');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Kyle Kuzma makes sacrifice play to help Bucks at trade deadline');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Kyle-Kuzma-makes-sacrifice-play-to-help-Bucks-at-trade-deadline.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Kyle Kuzma makes sacrifice play to help Bucks at trade deadline</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-05T09:16:59-08:00">February 5th, 9:16am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-05T09:16:59-08:00">February 5th, 9:16am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Milwaukee Bucks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Wednesday morning, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-khris-middleton-wizards-kyle-kuzma-trade">Milwaukee Bucks made a big NBA trade deadline decision</a> by shipping off Khris Middleton to the Washington Wizards in exchange for a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-giannis-antetokounmpo-bucks-khris-middleton-kyle-kuzma-trade">package centered around Kyle Kuzma</a>, as initially reported by Shams Charania of ESPN. Middleton had been struggling since returning to the lineup this season, and Kuzma gives the Bucks a dynamic scorer who can give an extra punch to an offense that sometimes becomes stagnant.</p><p>The Bucks may not be done adding talent at this year’s trade deadline, and after the trade was made, Kuzma made <a href="https://x.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1887162384944623734" rel="noopener">a selfless decision</a> to help them out in that department.</p><p>“To help Milwaukee build out their roster now and in the future, Kyle Kuzma is reducing a portion of the trade bonus in his contract, sources tell ESPN,” reported Bobby Marks of ESPN on X, formerly Twitter. “The reduced trade bonus allows Milwaukee to remain below the second apron.”</p><p>Other areas of need for the Bucks include depth at the center position as well as potentially at the backup point guard spot.</p><h2><b>A big trade for the Bucks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Kuzma-vs-the-Hornets.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Kyle Kuzma had been putting up empty stats as part of the league’s worst team in the Washington Wizards, but he remained a talented scorer, one who helped the Los Angeles Lakers win the NBA championship in 2020.</p><p>Meanwhile, Khris Middleton had been on a steady downward course for the Bucks over the last few seasons dating back to his incredible run to help guide them to the 2021 championship. Injuries, aging, and a general reduction in explosiveness contributed to Middleton’s dropoff over the last few seasons, although it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Wizards potentially look to flip him to another team that needs additional scoring before the trade deadline on Thursday.</p><p>In any case, Kuzma will bring another dimension to the Bucks’ offense, which is centered around the supernatural force that is Giannis Antetokounmpo as well as the perimeter scoring punch of Damian Lillard.</p><p>It’s unclear as of yet when Kuzma will make his debut with the team. The Bucks’ next game is on Wednesday evening on the road vs the Charlotte Hornets.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Kyle Kuzma makes sacrifice play to help Bucks at trade deadline

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-giannis-antetokounmpo-bucks-khris-middleton-kyle-kuzma-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: The ‘key’ Giannis element of Bucks’ Khris Middleton-Kyle Kuzma trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/The-key-Giannis-element-of-Bucks-Khris-Middleton-Kyle-Kuzma-trade.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: The ‘key’ Giannis element of Bucks’ Khris Middleton-Kyle Kuzma trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-05T08:51:26-08:00">February 5th, 8:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-05T08:52:07-08:00">February 5th, 8:52am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a>Jason Patt started as an editor at ClutchPoints in 2018 and became the head of the editorial team in 2022. He also co-hosts Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast for the Blue Wire Network.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Milwaukee Bucks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-khris-middleton-wizards-kyle-kuzma-trade">Milwaukee Bucks pulled off a trade Wednesday</a>, sending Khris Middleton to the Washington Wizards for Kyle Kuzma. The Bucks also included AJ Johnson and a pick swap while getting Patrick Baldwin Jr. and second-round draft compensation in the deal. While some may question the decision to trade a franchise legend like Middleton for a player in Kuzma who has struggled on a tanking Wizards team this season, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line <a href="https://x.com/JakeLFischer/status/1887162599579488413" rel="noopener">reports the deal has the support</a> of Giannis Antetokounmpo.</p><p>“I’m told a key element of the trade talks that brought Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee in exchange for championship mainstay Khris Middleton: a large vote of support for Kuzma from one Giannis Antetokounmpo,” Fischer writes.</p><p>Giannis had played with Middleton his entire career, winning an NBA title together in 2021. However, while Antetokounmpo has been publicly supportive of his longtime teammate, Middleton has dealt with injury problems in recent years that have sapped his effectiveness. The 33-year-old is still shooting the ball well this season, but there’s concern about how his ankles will hold up after undergoing surgery on both of them last offseason.</p><p>In Kuzma, the Bucks are getting an NBA champion who has lost his way with the lowly Wizards. He’s shooting just 42.0% percent overall and 28.1% from 3-point range this season while also acknowledging <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-kyle-kuzma-doesnt-want-washington-plan">he didn’t really fit in</a> with Washington’s youth movement. The hope is the 29-year-old can find the form that saw him score over 22 points per game last season.</p><p>Milwaukee also got some salary flexibility with this trade, ducking below the dreaded second apron thanks to Kuzma <a href="https://x.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1887162384944623734" rel="noopener">reducing his trade kicker</a>. The Bucks are now able to aggregate contracts in a trade, so look for them to make another move to improve the roster around Giannis, Kuzma and Damian Lillard.</p><p>Time will tell if this was a good move, but for now, it has the support of the person who matters most.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: The ‘key’ Giannis element of Bucks’ Khris Middleton-Kyle Kuzma trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-khris-middleton-kyle-kuzma-trade-chatter-close-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Khris Middleton-Kyle Kuzma trade chatter gets ‘close’ update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Khris-Middleton-Kyle-Kuzma-trade-chatter-gets-close-update.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Khris Middleton-Kyle Kuzma trade chatter gets ‘close’ update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-04T17:40:45-08:00">February 4th, 5:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-04T18:09:27-08:00">February 4th, 6:09pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Milwaukee Bucks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Milwaukee Bucks (26-22) have hit a skid at an inconvenient time, falling to fifth place in the East after losing four straight games (all by double-digits). Their once revived title-contention ambitions may be dwindling once again. The Washington Wizards (8-41), despite winning two consecutive road matchups, remain alone in last place. Since neither franchise is entering the NBA trade deadline with momentum, a convergence might be in order. A<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-bucks-wizards-khris-middleton-kyle-kuzma-trade"> Khris Middleton-Kyle Kuzma trade</a> is <a href="https://x.com/SteveBHoop/status/1886919451485884778" rel="noopener">possibly gaining traction</a>.</p><p>“Hearing from sources that Middleton from Bucks to Washington for Kuzma is getting close, as is a Wizards-Suns Valanciunas-Nurkic move,” Heavy Sports’ Steve Bulpett posted on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>The Bucks and Wizards each have burdensome contracts, but maybe it actually benefits them to complete a swap. Injuries continue to ravage Middleton, limiting him to only 23 games this season. The 33-year-old is earning $31.6 million in 2024-25 and will likely accept his $34 million player option for the 2025-26 campaign. Milwaukee might want to flip him now for a younger wing who has won a championship in his own right.</p><h2><b>Is a Khris Middleton-Kyle Kuzma swap best for both Bucks and Wizards?</b></h2><p>Kyle Kuzma enjoyed what Wizards fans hoped was a breakout year last season, scoring 22.2 points per game on 46.3 percent shooting. His productivity is worryingly down now– 15.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 42 percent shooting from the field and 28 percent 3-point shooting. Conversely, Khris Middleton is posting efficient 51.2 and 40.7 field goal and 3-point percentages, respectively. But the Bucks might no longer wish to bank on the three-time All-Star’s health.</p><p>Kyle Kuzma is only 29 years of age. It is plausible that a new environment, preferably one imbued with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard’s star power, can snap him out of his season-long slump. Many Wizards fans will probably support <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-kyle-kuzma-doesnt-want-washington-plan">this potential split</a>, as it could land them a future asset.</p><p>Washington did not maximize Kuzma’s trade value when it should have and must now prepare to receive a lesser haul in return. The organization can still come away with a first-round draft pick, however, assuming it absorbs the remainder of Middleton’s deal. Even if the Wizards get stuck with the veteran 3-and-D guy through next season, his contract expires one year before Kuzma’s.</p><p>There is no rosy path forward. The franchise has put itself in a perilous position and must now push through the weeds in order to reach a satisfying destination. Washington’s rebuilding efforts could align with Milwaukee’s possible retooling desires. Fans will monitor both of these squads heading into the Feb. 6 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-bucks-determined-trade-deadline-jimmy-butler">NBA trade deadline</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Khris Middleton-Kyle Kuzma trade chatter gets ‘close’ update

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-bucks-wizards-khris-middleton-kyle-kuzma-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Bucks, Wizards discuss Khris Middleton-Kyle Kuzma trade swap');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/NBA-rumors-Bucks-Wizards-discuss-Khris-Middleton-Kyle-Kuzma-trade-swap.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Bucks, Wizards discuss Khris Middleton-Kyle Kuzma trade swap</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-04T09:02:14-08:00">February 4th, 9:02am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-04T09:02:14-08:00">February 4th, 9:02am</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor and Washington Wizards/Mystics reporter for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Milwaukee Bucks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Kyle <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-kyle-kuzma-doesnt-want-washington-plan">Kuzma doesn’t want to fit in</a> with the Washington Wizards’ rebuild, and the Milwaukee Bucks want to shed Khris Middleton’s salary. It makes sense for both parties to strike a deal ahead of Thursday’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-bucks-trade-buzz-kyle-kuzma-jimmy-butler">NBA trade deadline</a>.</p><p>The two <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6111411/2025/02/04/washington-wizards-nba-trade-deadline-intel-kyle-kuzma/?source=user_shared_article&amp;utm_content=buffer3c65d&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer" rel="noopener">teams are in talks</a>, via The Athletic’s Josh Robbins and David Aldridge.</p><p>“Two league sources said the Wizards and Milwaukee Bucks have explored a potential deal in which Milwaukee would send Khris Middleton and draft capital to Washington for Kuzma,” they reported.</p><p>Middleton (ankle) is a declining asset due to his age (33) and injury issues. The former NBA champion has already missed 25 games this season and is having one of his worst-ever campaigns, averaging 12.6 points on 51.2% shooting with 3.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists across 23.2 minutes.</p><p>Middleton has a player option for next season, so it makes sense for Milwaukee to get a return for him now before he possibly opts out and walks in the summer. Swapping him for Kuzma would save the Bucks money, as he makes $31.6 million this season while the latter hooper makes $23.5 million.</p><p>Even if Middleton opted in for $34 million next season, he’d still be more expensive than Kuzma. The Wizards’ veteran will make $21.5 million in 2025-26 and $19.4 million in 2026-27.</p><p>Meanwhile, Kuzma is averaging 15.2 points on 42% shooting with 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists across 27.7 minutes and has only missed 17 games.</p><p>Additionally, the Wizards are looking into moving other veterans.</p><p>“Washington also would entertain parting with veterans Malcolm Brogdon and Marvin Bagley III, who are on expiring contracts, as well as center Richaun Holmes, whose $13.3 million salary for next season is guaranteed only for $250,000,” Aldridge and Robbins reported.</p><p>It may be hard to fit those players into a deal with the Bucks, as they’re a second-apron team. Another potential challenge is that Milwaukee only has one second-round pick to trade, which is in 2031.</p><p>With this in mind, here’s a potential Kuzma-Middleton <a href="https://fanspo.com/nba/trade-machine" rel="noopener">deal that could work</a>, via Fanspo’s NBA Trade Machine:</p><p><b>Wizards receive:</b></p><ul><li>Khris Middleton</li><li>Bobby Portis</li><li>Bucks’ 2027 first-round pick</li></ul><p><b>Bucks receive:</b></p><ul><li>Kyle Kuzma</li><li>Marvin Bagley III</li></ul><p>Adding Portis and Bagley into the deal makes it work financially, while Milwaukee trading its 2027 first follows the Stepien Rule, which prevents teams from dealing future firsts in consecutive years.</p><p>Portis makes $12.5 million this season and has a $13.4 million player option for next year, while Bagley makes $12.5 million this season before hitting free agency. The 29-year-old is averaging 13.4 points on 46.6% shooting with 7.9 rebounds and two assists across 24.7 minutes per game, so he’s another expendable player relative to his contract.</p><p>This deal would save the Bucks $8.2 million and put them $1 million under the second apron, which allows for more roster flexibility. The Wizards, of course, would add to their war chest of draft capital as they rebuild.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Bucks, Wizards discuss Khris Middleton-Kyle Kuzma trade swap

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-bucks-trade-buzz-kyle-kuzma-jimmy-butler');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Bucks trade buzz louder around Kyle Kuzma than Jimmy Butler');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/NBA-rumors-Bucks-trade-buzz-louder-around-Kyle-Kuzma-than-Jimmy-Butler.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Bucks trade buzz louder around Kyle Kuzma than Jimmy Butler</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-03T10:40:10-08:00">February 3rd, 10:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-03T10:40:10-08:00">February 3rd, 10:40am</time><address><a>Russell Steinberg</a>Russell Steinberg covers Major League Baseball and the New York Liberty for ClutchPoints. A baseball and basketball lifer, he has written for Boardroom, SLAM, SB Nation, The Next, and more. He graduated from NYU in 2012 and still returns to serve as PA announcer and occasional broadcaster for the school’s basketball and volleyball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Milwaukee Bucks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Milwaukee <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-bucks-determined-trade-deadline-jimmy-butler">Bucks remain linked to Jimmy Butler</a> as the February 6 NBA Trade deadline creeps closer. But <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-kyle-kuzma-doesnt-want-washington-plan">Kyle Kuzma</a> might be the player more likely to end up in Milwaukee.</p><p>The Bucks may have <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/jake-fischer-latest-is-it-the-warriors" rel="noopener">redirected their attention</a> to the Washington Wizards forward, NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Monday.</p><p>“There has been little fresh chatter on Milwaukee’s pursuit of Butler in recent days,” he wrote. “Sources with knowledge of the situation have relayed that the Bucks have more recently had conversations about pursuing Washington’s Kyle Kuzma.”</p><p>Milwaukee was known to have interest in Kuzma as early as two months ago, but salary concerns would make the deal difficult. As ClutchPoints’ Ben Siegel pointed out on December 13, “it would be almost impossible” for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jimmy-butler-warriors-rumors-latest-trade-block-intel-siegels-scoop">Bucks to swing a trade</a> for him due to second-apron restrictions.</p><p>But “almost impossible” is not the same as “impossible.” Just last week, ESPN’s Bobby Marks <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/43522050/nba-trade-deadline-tiers-deal-scenarios-outlooks-all-30-teams" rel="noopener">suggested a trade</a> that would send Kuzma to the Bucks for Khris Middleton and a future first-round pick.</p><h2><b>How a Kyle Kuzma trade would work for the Bucks and Wizards</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Kyle-Kuzma.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>A Middleton-for-Kuzma trade would be one way to make the money work on both sides.</p><p>“There is a $9 million difference in salary, but this trade works because of the Kuzma trade bonus. The Wizards add another first-round pick and get financial relief in 2026-27,” Marks wrote.</p><p>That first-round pick, in Marks’ proposal, is in 2029, presumably out of the Bucks’ current contention window.</p><p>“The Wizards would owe Kuzma a $7.5 million bonus if he was traded Feb. 6,” he continued. “The bonus would be spread evenly over his salary this season and the next two years. Kuzma also has $4.2 million in unlikely bonuses that count toward the apron.”</p><p>Middleton’s contract includes a player option for next year worth $34 million that, as of now, the Bucks are responsible for. Though the Wizards are miles away from contention, they could be willing to take that on as opposed to riding with Kuzma, whose deal goes a year longer. As it stands, they owe him more than $40 million over the next two years and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/siegels-scoop-why-jimmy-butler-future-doesnt-control-trade-deadline">trade market around him has cooled</a>.</p><p>Juxtapose Kuzma’s numbers with Butler, who carries a $52.4 million cap hit next year if he elects to exercise his player option. He will be an unrestricted free agent after next season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Bucks trade buzz louder around Kyle Kuzma than Jimmy Butler

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-bucks-determined-trade-deadline-jimmy-butler');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Bucks ‘determined’ to make trade amid Jimmy Butler buzz');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Bucks-determined-to-make-trade-amid-Jimmy-Butler-buzz.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Bucks ‘determined’ to make trade amid Jimmy Butler buzz</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-01-29T08:45:50-08:00">January 29th, 8:45am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-01-29T08:50:16-08:00">January 29th, 8:50am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a>Jason Patt started as an editor at ClutchPoints in 2018 and became the head of the editorial team in 2022. He also co-hosts Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast for the Blue Wire Network.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Milwaukee Bucks continue to be mentioned as a team that could potentially get in the trade mix for suspended Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler. ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel previously reported the possibility of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/are-bucks-serious-jimmy-butler-trade-deadline-suitor-siegels-scoop">Bucks being a Butler suitor</a>, and Marc Stein noted earlier this week that rival teams are still wondering if <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-rival-teams-bucks-jimmy-butler-trade-play">they will pursue Butler.</a> Stein again reiterated the point in <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/nba-trade-season-revs-up?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=155970453&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">Tuesday night’s newsletter on his Substack</a>.</p><p>“I continue to hear whispered warnings: <i>Don’t forget about the Bucks</i>,” Stein wrote.</p><p>But even aside from the Butler possibility, Stein insists Milwaukee will be players at the trade deadline: “The Bucks are routinely described as a team quite determined to make at least one move before the trade buzzer sounds to try to enhance the supporting cast around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. As determined as any team on the NBA map, as relayed to me, to make a trade before the buzzer sounds.”</p><h2><b>What will Bucks do at trade deadline? </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Jimmy-Butler-vs.-Khris-Middleton.jpg"><figcaption>Benny Sieu-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>A Jimmy Butler trade is complicated by the Bucks’ salary situation. Since they’re currently a second-apron team, they can’t aggregate multiple players in a trade to acquire Butler. However, if Milwaukee can dump Pat Connaughton and his $9.4 million contract for this season somewhere, that would open up the possibility.</p><p>The Bucks could then offer Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis to the Heat, two players who could help Miami with a playoff push this season. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-heats-mission-to-trade-jimmy-butler-features-new-strategy">With the Heat reportedly now open</a> to taking on players with contracts that run through 2025-26 (both Middleton and Portis have player options), this represents an intriguing option.</p><p>But even if a Butler trade doesn’t pan out, it seems Milwaukee really wants to make a move. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-bradley-beal-bucks-jimmy-butler-trade-buzz-louder">There were Bradley Beal rumblings</a> at one point as part of all the Butler hubbub, though the noise didn’t make much sense and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-bucks-bradley-beal-trade-talks-nonexistent">doesn’t appear to be a real option</a>. Would the Bucks consider turning to somebody like Zach LaVine or Brandon Ingram as a splashy move?</p><p>Milwaukee has rebounded after the slow start to the season to get to 26-19, good for fourth in the Eastern Conference. However, the Bucks are still well behind the top three teams and Middleton has been a huge injury question mark for a couple seasons now. It’s no surprise general manager Jon Horst is looking for an upgrade, but making a meaningful move is still tricky.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Bucks ‘determined’ to make trade amid Jimmy Butler buzz

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-rival-teams-bucks-jimmy-butler-trade-play');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Rival teams still wonder if Bucks will make Jimmy Butler trade play');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/NBA-rumors-Rival-teams-still-wonder-if-Bucks-will-make-Jimmy-Butler-trade-play.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Rival teams still wonder if Bucks will make Jimmy Butler trade play</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-01-27T11:47:33-08:00">January 27th, 11:47am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-01-27T11:47:33-08:00">January 27th, 11:47am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Milwaukee Bucks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Phoenix Suns have been the main team <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-bulls-absolutely-involved-in-bradley-beal-jimmy-butler-suns-trade-conversations">mentioned in Jimmy Butler trade talks</a>, but there are others that could possibly make a play for him. The Milwaukee Bucks is one team that could surprise people, and some are wondering <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/tons-of-nba-trade-season-talk?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=155811583&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">if they’ll make the move</a>, according to Marc Stein.</p><p>“The Bucks still can’t trade for a player in Butler’s salary range unless/until they shed Pat Connaughton’s $9.4 million salary … or come up with a Butler trade construction that also ships out Connaughton,” Stein wrote. “Would the Heat, just to end this draining Butler saga ASAP, be willing to trade Butler for Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis? Neither player, crucially, has a contract that extends past 2025-26, which — as Jake Fischer explained Saturday in detail — is a huge priority for Miami.</p><p>“The Bucks, though, currently possess only one tradeable first-round pick (2031) and one tradeable second-rounder to sweeten any deal that involves Miami and/or a team to take on Connaughton.”</p><p>There have been trade scenarios that have come out that involve Khris Middleton and Boddy Portis going to different teams, and the Bucks either getting Butler or Bradley Beal, if the Suns are a part of the deal. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/are-bucks-serious-jimmy-butler-trade-deadline-suitor-siegels-scoop">Bucks want to get better</a>, and Butler will help them in that department, but it’s uncertain if they’ll actually do something.</p><h2>Could Jimmy Butler make sense on the Bucks?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Jimmy-Butler-2_9132b5.jpg"><figcaption>Sam Navarro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It’s obvious that whatever team trades for Jimmy Butler, he doesn’t plan on being the No. 1 option. If he goes to the Bucks, he’ll most likely be the third option, and that’s a role that could fit him well alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.</p><p>Khris Middleton has taken a step back this season due to slowly coming back from his ankle surgeries in the offseason, and head coach Doc Rivers elected for him to come off the bench. With no true third option for the team, they may be looking to move away from Middleton and get someone who can put them over the top.</p><p>In any trade involving Butler, it’s going to take a lot for it to happen. It also means that the Heat will have to be okay with whatever they get in return, and if it will help their team in the future.</p><p>As of now, it’s very uncertain where Butler will end up before the trade deadline, and there’s a chance that he’s still with the Heat until the end of the season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Rival teams still wonder if Bucks will make Jimmy Butler trade play

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-insider-shares-update-on-brandon-ingram-potential-trade-suitors-if-healthy');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Insider shares update on Brandon Ingram potential trade suitors if healthy');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/NBA-rumors-Insider-shares-update-on-Brandon-Ingram-potential-trade-suitors-if-healthy.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Insider shares update on Brandon Ingram potential trade suitors if healthy</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-01-23T14:31:22-08:00">January 23rd, 2:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-01-23T14:56:25-08:00">January 23rd, 2:56pm</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Detroit Pistons</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There has been an update regarding the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-brandon-ingram-trade-talks-dead-injury-return-deadline">trade speculation of New Orleans Pelicans star Brandon Ingram</a> and the possible suitors for him ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline. Though there have been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-pistons-trade-deadline-buyers-brandon-ingram">rumors that the Pelicans won’t deal Ingram</a>, NBA insider Jake Fischer mentioned a few teams that looked into the prospect of acquiring the star forward.</p><p>On Bleacher Report’s show “NBA Insider Notebook,” Fischer spoke on such teams as the Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings that have been needing to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yut_7o_t3fo&amp;t=1017s" rel="noopener">“improve on the wing.”</a> However, he mentioned how some of the talks could have winded down due to his ankle injury and general history.</p><p>“I have been told that Milwaukee is considering options to go out and improve on the wing,” Fischer said. “They checked in and were interested in the concept of Brandon Ingram back in December, but like that’s one conversation that I know hasn’t continued since he’s been injured.</p><p>“Same thing with Sacramento. That’s someone that they considered dating back to this past summer.”</p><p>“How can the Kings, how can the Bucks, how can anyone think about acquiring him if he’s not at full strength,” Fischer continued. “I think the Pistons make some interesting sense, but I’ve been told there’s been no conversation there at all between Detroit.”</p><h2><b>Brandon Ingram could be on Pelicans after the trade deadline</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Brandon-Ingram-on-Dec-7-2024.jpg"><figcaption>Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Fischer also mentioned the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/brandon-ingram-trade-pistons-must-consider-secure-playoff-berth">Pistons being a team that could use Ingram</a>, but he said not even a week ago that the 27-year-old does not come up that often in talks around the league.</p><p>“Ingram’s name <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/jake-fischer-latest-tons-of-nba-trade?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60" rel="noopener">very rarely comes up</a> in conversations with league personnel,” Fischer wrote on The Stein Line Substack. “It’s been that way ever since the former All-Star forward went down with an ankle injury on Dec. 7.</p><p>“There remains a chance Ingram returns to New Orleans’ lineup with roughly a week’s worth of games before the deadline, sources say, which would at least give potential suitors a more current reminder of his abilities.”</p><p>“I’m told that the Pelicans still remain open to re-signing Ingram this summer after the sides were unable to agree to a contract extension this past offseason,” Fischer continued. “Ingram, sources said, was not amenable to New Orleans’ offers that landed in the $40 million range in average annual value.</p><p>“Yet it could well be just as challenging for Ingram, who makes $36 million this season, to find that type of money available on the open market this summer — just as is often said about Jimmy Butler’s quest for a high-dollar contract if the back-with-Miami Butler declines his $52.4 million player option for 2025-26.”</p><p>The Pelicans are 12-32, which puts them 14th in the West ahead of their matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Insider shares update on Brandon Ingram potential trade suitors if healthy

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-bucks-bradley-beal-trade-talks-nonexistent');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Bucks, Bradley Beal trade talks ‘nonexistent’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/IMG_1212.jpeg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Bucks, Bradley Beal trade talks ‘nonexistent’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-01-22T18:07:32-08:00">January 22nd, 6:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-01-22T18:07:32-08:00">January 22nd, 6:07pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Milwaukee Bucks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With the NBA trade deadline approaching, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-bucks-painted-as-likelier-to-pursue-bradley-beal-trade-over-jimmy-butler">Milwaukee Bucks were recently rumored to be more interested in a Bradley Beal trade</a> rather than a trade for Jimmy Butler. But with the NBA trade deadline just about two weeks way, there is <a href="https://x.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1882240646049923101" rel="noopener">reportedly no traction</a> on a potential Bradley Beal to the Bucks trade, as per NBA insider Chris Haynes.</p><p>“Contrary to popular belief, I was just informed that the Milwaukee Bucks have not inquired about Phoenix Suns star Bradley Beal,” Haynes reported. “In fact, it was explained to me that a connection is nonexistent. If Phoenix is able to acquire Jimmy Butler, it would not come via the Milwaukee Bucks taking on the star guard.”</p><p>It has also been rumored that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/are-bucks-serious-jimmy-butler-trade-deadline-suitor-siegels-scoop">Bucks could be interested in a potential Jimmy Butler trade</a>, with Khris Middleton being a centerpiece in a potential deal, as per ClutchPoints own NBA insider Brett Siegel. The Bucks have not been informed by Butler’s camp that he wouldn’t be willing to play for them.</p><p>Any potential big trade that the Bucks make, however, would have to come after they move someone like Pat Connaughton and his $9.4 million contract.</p><p>Beal’s name has popped in trade rumors recently amid his move to the bench, and the Suns looking to reignite the team after struggling following their strong start to the 2024-25 season.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-trade-2031-draft-pick-jazz-3-firsts">Suns recently completed a trade with the Utah Jazz involving draft picks</a>, that some could take as precursor to a potential Butler to Phoenix trade.</p><p>Butler and Beal, while both older stars, are still elite-level players, both of whom could seriously help a contender looking to get over the top. The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 6, and the next couple of weeks are sure to be interesting and ripe with rumors as the trade winds churn.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Bucks, Bradley Beal trade talks ‘nonexistent’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-bradley-beal-bucks-jimmy-butler-trade-buzz-louder');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Bradley Beal-to-Bucks in Jimmy Butler trade buzz gets louder');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Bradley-Beal-to-Bucks-in-Jimmy-Butler-trade-buzz-gets-louder.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Bradley Beal-to-Bucks in Jimmy Butler trade buzz gets louder</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-01-22T08:54:03-08:00">January 22nd, 8:54am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-01-22T08:54:03-08:00">January 22nd, 8:54am</time><address><a>Preston Byers</a>Preston Byers is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate editor for ClutchPoints and as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, where he covers sports in the Mahoning Valley. Previously, Preston worked as an associate editor for Dot Esports and a site expert for FanSided's Union and Blue.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jimmy Butler has made his intentions clear about leaving the Miami Heat, but with his nearly $50 million pricetag, it is anything but easy to facilitate a trade for Butler. The one team that can do so, though, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-did-jimmy-butler-drop-trade-destination-hint-with-shoe-choice-vs-blazers">is the Phoenix Suns</a>, who have seemingly been trying to trade Bradley Beal in exchange for Butler. That hasn’t worked out so far, reportedly because of Miami’s disinterest, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-bucks-painted-as-likelier-to-pursue-bradley-beal-trade-over-jimmy-butler">but the Milwaukee Bucks’ involvement</a> may end up sealing the deal.</p><p>Per reports, the Heat have prioritized cap flexibility in their trade talks involving Butler, who is making $48.8 million this year and, if he picks up his player option in June, would earn $52.4 million. Whether Butler would truly decline the option, especially if teams are unable or unwilling to offer him a lucrative long-term deal, remains to be seen.</p><p>Remaining flexible with their cap space would likely mean the Heat don’t want to acquire Beal from the Suns, as Beal makes $50.2 million this year, $53.7 million next season, and $57.1 million in 2026-27, provided he picks up a player option on the latter. Additionally, even if Miami was interested, Beal has to be too because he holds a no-trade clause, a rarity among NBA players that allows him to veto any potential trade involving himself.</p><p>It seems, though, that Milwaukee may be interested in acquiring Beal as part of a multi-team trade. They would just have to make at least one move in order to do that.</p><p>“One scenario, that two different league sources told @ClutchPoints about, involves Butler going to PHX and MIL moving out of the second apron by moving Connaughton to TOR,” ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “This then turns into Bruce Brown/Khris Middleton to MIA, Beal/Love to MIL, Portis/Connaughton to TOR. Draft picks would obviously be going to MIA and TOR.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">One scenario, that two different league sources told <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ClutchPoints</a> about, involves Butler going to PHX and MIL moving out of the second apron by moving Connaughton to TOR. </p><p>This then turns into Bruce Brown/Khris Middleton to MIA, Beal/Love to MIL, Portis/Connaughton to TOR.… <a href="https://t.co/00HVKl1Uov">https://t.co/00HVKl1Uov</a></p><p>— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrettSiegelNBA/status/1881865175931723869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Athletic reported today, though, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6079497/2025/01/21/jimmy-butler-suns-jazz-trade-heat/?source=user_shared_article" rel="noopener">that while the</a> Bucks are “worth monitoring” as the potential third team in a Butler-to-Suns trade, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-suns-havent-talked-bradley-beal-no-trade-clause-jazz-deal">Beal and Phoenix have yet to talk</a> about him waiving his no-trade clause. Additionally, moving Middleton would also likely be a hard decision to make for Milwaukee considering Middleton’s relationship with star Giannis Antetokounmpo, as well as his contributions to the team, including being a key part of the Bucks’ 2021 NBA Championship run.</p><p>If the Bucks opt to stand pat, or Beal decides not to waive his no-trade clause, it is unknown exactly what will happen with Butler, if anything. Phoenix will not have the cap space to sign Butler to any contract he is desiring in the offseason as a free agent, making the next few weeks before the Feb. 6 trade deadline all that more important.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Bradley Beal-to-Bucks in Jimmy Butler trade buzz gets louder

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-bucks-painted-as-likelier-to-pursue-bradley-beal-trade-over-jimmy-butler');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Bucks ‘painted’ as likelier to pursue Bradley Beal trade over Jimmy Butler');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/IMG_1202.jpeg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Bucks ‘painted’ as likelier to pursue Bradley Beal trade over Jimmy Butler</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-01-19T14:01:51-08:00">January 19th, 2:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-01-19T16:34:31-08:00">January 19th, 4:34pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Milwaukee Bucks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As the NBA trade deadline draws near, a couple of names that are hot in the rumor mill are Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal and Miami Heat wing Jimmy Butler, with the Milwaukee Bucks mentioned as a team that could make a play for either. But should the Bucks jump in the mix, they are <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/sunday-best-all-my-nba-trade-season?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60" rel="noopener">reportedly more inclined</a> to trade for Bradley Beal than they are for Jimmy Butler, as per longtime NBA insider Marc Stein.</p><p>Stein reports that there are hurdles the Bucks would have to clear before pursuing either a Jimmy Butler or Bradley Beal trade. The Bucks are currently a second apron team, meaning they would have to clear salary first before taking on either Beal or Butler’s current contract.</p><p>A name that has been mentioned as possible being moved in advance of a major trade is Pat Connaughton and his $9.4 million contract, in a deal that wouldn’t require the Bucks to receive additional salary.</p><p>Regarding a potential Butler deal, the Bucks would almost assuredly have to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/are-bucks-serious-jimmy-butler-trade-deadline-suitor-siegels-scoop" rel="noopener">move Khris Middleton in a trade</a>, a move that the Bucks reportedly would be willing to make, as per ClutchPoints own NBA insider Brett Siegel.</p><p>Either Butler or Beal would probably help the Bucks shoot up in the Eastern Conference standings. The Bucks have been able to shake off a poor start to the season and have been playing better. The Bucks are currently 23-17 and have moved all the way up to fourth place in the East standings.</p><p>While Butler has made it clear that he prefers to be traded from the Heat, there hasn’t been any indication yet that Beal would seek a trade from the Suns. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-how-jimmy-butler-played-in-return-after-suspension-vs-nuggets">Butler recently returned from a team suspension</a> while <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-shocking-bradley-beal-jusuf-nurkic-moves-amid-dry-spell">Beal has been moved to the bench</a> in an attempt to reignite the struggling Suns.</p><p>Both player are still playing at relatively high levels. Butler has been averaging 17.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.2 steals with splits of 54.7 percent shooting from the field, 35.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 79.4 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>Beal has been averaging 17.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals with splits of 48.5 percent shooting from the field, 38.5 percent shooting from the three-point line and 75 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Bucks ‘painted’ as likelier to pursue Bradley Beal trade over Jimmy Butler

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-the-9-42-million-trade-piece-bucks-want-to-dump');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: The $9.42 million trade piece Bucks want to dump in hopes of bigger move');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/NBA-rumors-The-9.42-million-trade-piece-Bucks-want-to-dump-in-hopes-of-bigger-move.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: The $9.42 million trade piece Bucks want to dump in hopes of bigger move</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-01-16T10:13:59-08:00">January 16th, 10:13am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-01-16T10:13:59-08:00">January 16th, 10:13am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Milwaukee Bucks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Milwaukee Bucks, currently 22-17 and fourth in the Eastern Conference, are <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-intel-warriors-bucks-suns-hornets-more/" rel="noopener">exploring trade options</a> involving guard Pat Connaughton, according to a report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Scotto indicates that NBA executives are monitoring Connaughton as a potential trade candidate as the Bucks seek greater financial flexibility to improve their roster.</p><p>Connaughton, 32, is in the second year of a three-year contract that pays him $9.42 million this season, with a player option for the 2025-26 season. Moving Connaughton’s contract would provide the Bucks with valuable cap relief, as the team is currently $6.5 million over the second luxury tax apron. Shedding his salary would open the possibility of utilizing the mid-level exception and gaining the flexibility to acquire multiple players in a single deal.</p><p>Connaughton’s role with Milwaukee has diminished this season. He is averaging 4.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 15.7 minutes per game — his lowest playing time since the 2019-20 season. Despite his reduced production, Connaughton remains a respected veteran with championship experience, which could make him an attractive piece for teams seeking depth.</p><h2><b>Pat Connaughton trade could position Bucks for a bigger move amid Jimmy Butler rumors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Pat-Connaughton-24-dribbles-the-basketball.jpg"><figcaption>© Sam Navarro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Scotto also notes that trading Connaughton could position the Bucks to make a more significant roster move. One intriguing possibility involves <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-bucks-not-told-jimmy-butlers-doesnt-want-trade">Miami Heat star forward Jimmy Butler, who has been at the center of trade speculation</a> in recent weeks. Butler reportedly will meet with the Heat organization Friday to discuss his future.</p><p>A logical trade partner for the Bucks could be the Detroit Pistons. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-top-pistons-trade-targets-2024-25-season">Detroit, currently 21-19 and among the hottest teams in the league</a> after winning eight of their last 10 games, has $14 million in available cap space. This financial flexibility makes the Pistons a viable option for absorbing salary in a potential deal, especially if Milwaukee seeks to offload Connaughton’s contract.</p><p>By moving Connaughton, the Bucks would gain the financial breathing room necessary to remain competitive in the Eastern Conference. With their championship window tied closely to the prime years of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-key-giannis-dame-lillard-stat-that-determines-milwaukee-success">Giannis Antetokounmpo and the dynamic partnership with Damian Lillard</a>, Milwaukee is under pressure to construct a roster capable of making another deep playoff run.</p><p>While it remains to be seen if Connaughton will ultimately be moved, his contract and reduced role make him a key trade piece as the Bucks weigh their options ahead of the NBA trade deadline.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: The $9.42 million trade piece Bucks want to dump in hopes of bigger move

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-bucks-not-told-jimmy-butlers-doesnt-want-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Bucks not told by Jimmy Butler’s camp he doesn’t want trade there');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Bucks-not-told-by-Jimmy-Butlers-camp-he-doesnt-want-trade-there.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Bucks not told by Jimmy Butler’s camp he doesn’t want trade there</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-01-15T07:50:07-08:00">January 15th, 7:50am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-01-15T08:11:02-08:00">January 15th, 8:11am</time><address><a href="https://www.downeuclid.com">Evan Dammarell</a>Evan Dammarell is an award-winning sports journalist covering all things Cleveland, including the Cavs, right off the shores of Lake Erie. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>NBA fans love drama, and disgruntled Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler is the player everyone is watching. After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-jimmy-butler-doubles-down-on-trade-request-to-pat-riley">disparaging comments about his time in Miami</a>, Butler will return to action for the Heat against the Denver Nuggets. Although it’s been reported that Butler will be locked in if not traded, many still wonder what will happen next. Will things remain awkward and continue to fracture? Or will Butler and the Heat mend fences and turn around their season?</p><p>Regardless, with less than a month to go until the annual NBA trade deadline, rumors about Butler will continue to ramp up. Until Butler says he’s happy in Miami, contending teams like the Milwaukee Bucks will be linked to him. ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel previously noted the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/siegels-scoop-why-jimmy-butler-future-doesnt-control-trade-deadline">Bucks as a “dark-horse” team for Butler</a>, and The Athletic’s Sam Amick now reports Milwaukee hasn’t been told by Butler’s camp that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6063464/2025/01/15/bulls-zach-lavine-nikola-vucevic-trade/" rel="noopener">he wouldn’t play there</a>.</p><p>This flies in the face of rumors that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/5-team-jimmy-butler-trade-involving-lakers-bucks-must-consider">Bucks were told not to go after Butler</a>. So, if Butler isn’t opposed to Milwaukee long-term, it would be remiss of them not to go after him.</p><p>Unfortunately, a move that would have Butler join the Bucks seems easier said than done. However, it isn’t impossible, either. Here’s how Milwaukee can bring Butler, a former Marquette legend, home to help win an NBA title.</p><h2><b>How the Bucks can navigate a trade to land Jimmy Butler</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Jimmy-Butler-defended-by-Lillard-Heat-Bucks.jpg"><figcaption>Benny Sieu-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Milwaukee is currently over the first and second aprons above the luxury tax, significantly hampering its ability to acquire players via trade. For one, since it is $17.3 million above the first apron, it cannot send out more money than it takes back in a trade. Being above the second apron means that the Bucks cannot immediately aggregate players’ salaries to equal incoming money.</p><p>So, despite Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez’s salaries matching what Butler brings home, a trade won’t work. The same goes for a straight-up swap between Milwaukee and Miami that would send Damian Lillard to the Heat for Butler. The same goes for combining Lillard with Marjon Beauchamp, which would be more than what Butler currently makes.</p><p>Since Milwaukee can’t aggregate players together to get to the $48.8 million, they’d <i>have</i> to deal away to acquire Butler. That would mean the Bucks have to consider if shedding what little depth they have to acquire Butler is worth it.</p><p>One move would be sending Pat Connaughton to a team for a heavily-protected draft pick. Shedding Connaughton’s $9.4 million would get the Bucks out of the second apron and let them aggregate salaries together. So, in theory, it would cost Milwaukee Connaughton, Middleton, and Lopez to land Butler. But, again, the Bucks must determine if the juice is worth the squeeze to land Butler. Milwaukee’s path to winning the title becomes more apparent if they do.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Bucks not told by Jimmy Butler’s camp he doesn’t want trade there

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/bucks-news-doc-rivers-reveals-true-reason-behind-intriguing-khris-middleton-move-amid-trade-rumors');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bucks’ Doc Rivers reveals true reason behind intriguing Khris Middleton move amid trade rumors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Doc-Rivers-reveals-true-reason-behind-intriguing-Khris-Middleton-move-amid-trade-rumors.jpg"></figure><h1>Bucks’ Doc Rivers reveals true reason behind intriguing Khris Middleton move amid trade rumors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-01-08T18:36:41-08:00">January 8th, 6:36pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-01-08T18:36:41-08:00">January 8th, 6:36pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Milwaukee Bucks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Milwaukee Bucks caused a bit of a fuss on social media on Wednesday when Chris Haynes of TNT reported that they will be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-milwaukee-surprising-khris-middleton-bench-trade-rumors">bringing Khris Middleton off the bench</a> during their upcoming contest against the San Antonio Spurs. Taurean Prince will be starting in Middleton’s stead, and this move certainly raised a few eyebrows considering that there is less than month to go before the trade deadline, and the Bucks could potentially dangle the 33-year-old forward in hopes of acquiring an upgrade.</p><p>Regardless, fans need not read too much into the Bucks’ decision to demote Middleton out of the starting five. Head coach Doc Rivers revealed that this decision was only <a href="https://x.com/eric_nehm/status/1877159536982634625" rel="noopener">due to precautionary reasons</a> especially after Middleton underwent surgery on his ankles during the offseason, delaying his start to the 2024-25 campaign.</p><p>“He’s not starting tonight, but (it’s) more just a minute thing. He keeps getting the tendinitis. It’s just not improving to the place he wants it or we want it. And so we just gotta monitor it. We’re cutting his minutes back a little bit and just trying to make sure he can get through this,” Rivers said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-khris-middleton-undergoes-2-ankle-surgeries">Middleton has endured an injury-ravaged past few seasons</a>; last year, he didn’t play over 30 minutes until his 19th game of the season. He missed a total of 27 games during the 2023-24 campaign, although it is important to note that he did turn up for the Bucks in the playoffs, emerging as arguably their best player in their six-game series loss to the Indiana Pacers.</p><p>Over the offseason, the goal of the surgeries was to preserve Middleton’s long-term health, dealing with the ankle problems that have caused him to miss plenty of games in the past. And it looks like it will be a slow ramp-up for the 33-year-old as he continues to play his way back to full health.</p><h2><b>Khris Middleton’s production is dipping for the Bucks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Khris-Middleton-celebrates-Bucks.jpg"><figcaption>Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>No one can ever question the importance of Khris Middleton to the Bucks franchise. Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo were the original duo that brought Milwaukee to relevancy in the mid-2010s, and Middleton has always been a reliable hand for the team in crunch time, serving as their primary shot-creator from the perimeter.</p><p>But Middleton’s injury problems have caused his production to fall off quite a bit for the Bucks. He’s entering their Wednesday night contest against the Spurs averaging just 12.7 points per game — his lowest since his sophomore season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bucks’ Doc Rivers reveals true reason behind intriguing Khris Middleton move amid trade rumors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/bucks-news-milwaukee-surprising-khris-middleton-bench-trade-rumors');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bucks bench Khris Middleton amid trade rumors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Milwaukee-benches-Khris-Middleton-amid-trade-rumors.jpg"></figure><h1>Bucks bench Khris Middleton amid trade rumors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-01-08T08:41:11-08:00">January 8th, 8:41am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-01-08T09:04:46-08:00">January 8th, 9:04am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Milwaukee Bucks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-khris-middleton-out-raptors-ankle-injury">Milwaukee Bucks are making changes</a> to their starting lineup, as head coach Doc Rivers is moving Khris Middleton <a href="https://x.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1877030946139934843" rel="noopener">to the bench</a>, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes.</p><p>Rivers is trying to find continuity with the starting lineup, while still managing Middleton’s minutes as he is still recovering after having double ankle surgery during the offseason. Taurean Prince will remain in the starting lineup moving forward, and this should also take the pressure off of Middleton.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sources: Milwaukee Bucks star Khris Middleton is returning for tonight’s game against San Antonio Spurs and will come off the bench as the team tries to find continuity in starting lineup. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/haynesbriefs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#haynesbriefs</a> <a href="https://t.co/CgKOD5Oo4e">pic.twitter.com/CgKOD5Oo4e</a></p><p>— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1877030946139934843?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>There have also been trade rumors surrounding Middleton as Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat are looking to part ways. The Bucks have been a team interested in Butler, and in order to make the matching salaries work on both sides, Middleton would probably have to be a part of the deal if something happened.</p><h2>Bucks making a lineup change</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Bucks-forward-Khris-Middleton.jpg"><figcaption>Benny Sieu-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Bucks started the season with a 2-8 record, and some would say Khris Middleton was the key to getting them back on track. Once he returned, the Bucks started to get into a groove, and he was coming off the bench as well. It might be best for Middleton to continue to have a bench role so the Bucks can have extra firepower in the second unit.</p><p>There could be a chance that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-bucks-grizzlies-having-ongoing-discussions-about-jimmy-butler-trade">Bucks are trying to improve their roster</a>, and they’ve been in rumors about trying to acquire Jimmy Butler. It might take a lot for the Bucks to make it happen, and it would cost them to trade several players, but Butler could help them on their path to winning a championship.</p><p>If Butler is acquired, that probably means that Middleton was traded. Though he’s getting back in form, Middleton has taken a step back from the player he used to be for the Bucks, and the organization could be looking for something more fresh.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bucks bench Khris Middleton amid trade rumors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-bucks-grizzlies-having-ongoing-discussions-about-jimmy-butler-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Bucks, Grizzlies having ‘ongoing discussions’ about Jimmy Butler trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/NBA-rumors-Bucks-Grizzlies-having-ongoing-discussions-about-Jimmy-Butler-trade.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Bucks, Grizzlies having ‘ongoing discussions’ about Jimmy Butler trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-01-06T14:34:56-08:00">January 6th, 2:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-01-06T14:34:56-08:00">January 6th, 2:34pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Memphis Grizzlies</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Miami Heat are on a mission to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-why-theres-pessimism-about-jimmy-butler-trade-happening-asap">find a trade partner for Jimmy Butler</a>, and there could be several teams looking to acquire his services. Butler has already named a few teams that he would prefer, such as the Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and the Houston Rockets.</p><p>Some of those teams don’t seem to be looking to trade for Butler, but there are some <a href="https://x.com/Gambo987/status/1876366146959802571" rel="noopener">other teams that are interested</a>, according to John Gambadoro.</p><p>“Some of the rumbling I have heard are that Memphis and Milwaukee are teams having ongoing discussions about a trade for Jimmy Butler,” Gambadoro wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Miami weighing if it is better to trade him now or in offseason via sign and trade.”</p><p>The Bucks could make a move for Butler, but it could take a lot to acquire him. If the Bucks could package Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton, and MarJon Beauchamp, there’s a chance that they could get Butler in return, but that would be moving a lot of key role players that they need. It also wouldn’t make sense for the Heat to trade Butler in the conference, especially for the Bucks, who are looking to win a championship,</p><h2>Could Jimmy Butler get traded to the Grizzlies?</h2><p>For the Grizzlies, it could be as simple as trading Desmond Bane or trading players such as Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, and Brandon Clarke in a package. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grizzlies-news-jaylen-wells-off-limits-jimmy-butler-cj-mccollum-trade">Grizzlies could use a player like Butler</a> who could be the missing piece they need to take them to the next level in the Western Conference.</p><p>The one thing about trade is that it takes two teams to make something happen, and if the Heat don’t like the offer, they simply will just keep Butler. If anything, they may just wait until the offseason to make a move if nothing entices them now.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Bucks, Grizzlies having ‘ongoing discussions’ about Jimmy Butler trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-teams-monitoring-giannis-long-term-outlook');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Teams still monitoring Giannis Antetokounmpo’s long-term outlook despite Bucks success');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NBA-rumors-Teams-still-monitoring-Giannis-long-term-outlook-despite-Bucks-success.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Teams still monitoring Giannis Antetokounmpo’s long-term outlook despite Bucks success</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-27T10:15:08-08:00">December 27th, 10:15am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-27T10:15:08-08:00">December 27th, 10:15am</time><address><a href="https://www.downeuclid.com">Evan Dammarell</a>Evan Dammarell is an award-winning sports journalist covering all things Cleveland, including the Cavs, right off the shores of Lake Erie. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Milwaukee Bucks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Although the NBA still has time until the annual trade deadline, rumors continue to heat up. Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler is the NBA star getting the most trade chatter. Based on reports, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-pat-riley-breaks-silence-on-jimmy-butler-trade-rumors">Butler has been recently linked to</a> the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, and Houston Rockets. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-erik-spoelstras-blunt-jimmy-butler-message-amid-trade-rumors-we-want-jimmy-here">rumors surrounding Butle</a>r are only going to continue to heat up. However, like Butler, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/43168876/nba-buzz-trade-deadline-expansion-more-2025-intel" rel="noopener">another name teams reportedly keep tabs on</a> is Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo as the trade deadline looms.</p><p>Like most players, Antetokounmpo wants what’s best for him and his career. That means if the Bucks see another season go up in smoke, Antetokounmpo might pressure Milwaukee to make moves to either build a legitimate contender around him or move him to a team he can win a championship with. That’s a situation the Bucks want to avoid since Antetokounmpo is arguably the greatest player in the franchise’s history.</p><p>Regardless, one Western Conference team is waiting in the wings for a disgruntled superstar to become available. The Houston Rockets, who have come out of the gates swinging under Ime Udoka, have a plethora of draft picks and assets that could make a trade for a star, just like Antetokounmpo.</p><h2><b>Could Giannis Antetokounmpo join the Rockets?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Giannis-scores-Bucks-Rockets.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>If Antetokounmpo made it clear that he wants to join Houston, here’s a realistic trade package that Milwaukee should expect in return:</p><ul><li><b>Houston gets</b>: Giannis Antetokounmpo</li><li><b>Milwaukee gets</b>: Steven Adams, Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr., Jae’Sean Tate, Cam Whitmore, 2025 first-round pick (via Houston), 2027 first-round pick (via Phoenix), 2028 first-round pick (via Houston)</li></ul><p>If the Bucks were to trade Antetokounmpo, they should expect a haul in return. Anything less than three first-round picks is a non-starter, and getting back multiple young, promising prospects should also be the expectation for Milwaukee.</p><p>However, opposing teams might not want to accept the idea that Antetokounmpo is available. The only way the Bucks will trade Antetokounmpo is if the superstar demands it. Milwaukee recently won the NBA Cup and has gone 6-4 in its last ten games, and it is turning things around after a rough start to the season.</p><p>The Bucks’ early-season turnaround might be a step in the right direction, especially if they want to win a title this year. If it leads to Antetokounmpo winning another championship with Milwaukee, the chances of his demanding a trade will become non-existent. However, everything could change if the Bucks don’t make a deep playoff run this year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Teams still monitoring Giannis Antetokounmpo’s long-term outlook despite Bucks success

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-the-trade-calls-bucks-making-complement-brook-lopez');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: The trade calls Bucks are making to ‘complement’ Brook Lopez');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/The-trade-calls-Bucks-are-making-to-complement-Brook-Lopez.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: The trade calls Bucks are making to ‘complement’ Brook Lopez</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-19T14:40:54-08:00">December 19th, 2:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-19T14:40:54-08:00">December 19th, 2:40pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Milwaukee Bucks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-doc-rivers-gets-real-amazing-opportunity-coach-giannis-antetokounmpo">Milwaukee Bucks are riding high</a> after their recent NBA Cup <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-brook-lopez-leaving-las-vegas-500000-draws-hilarious-response">championship victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder</a> on Tuesday in Las Vegas. It’s been a remarkable turnaround for a Bucks team that started out the season 2-8 but has since rebounded to push themselves into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.</p><p>After their disastrous start to the campaign, there were rumors swirling that superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo may demand a trade from the franchise that drafted him back in 2013; however, now, those rumors have morphed into questions about how the Bucks will look to surround Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard with the best supporting talent available.</p><p>Recently, NBA insider Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports took to Marc Stein’s account on Substack to <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/jake-fischer-latest-man-in-demand?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=153361674&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">shed some light</a> on some ways Milwaukee may look to improve itself on the interior.</p><p>“Milwaukee has made calls to explore ways to add more of a lob threat to complement Brook Lopez, according to league sources, while the Bucks’ incumbent center has generated no shortage of trade interest since last summer,” reported Fischer.</p><p>At this point, Brook Lopez doesn’t exactly profile as a lob threat but instead as one of the Bucks’ many perimeter floor spaces, a stark contrast to the back to the basket player he was during the majority of his career for the Brooklyn Nets.</p><p>Some names that might become available on the trade market that Milwaukee could potentially explore trading for include Robert Williams III of the Portland Trail Blazers as well as Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz.</p><h2>Is the Bucks’ turnaround legit?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Lopez-celebrates.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Terada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While NBA seasons are always going to be full of ups and downs, it’s rare for a campaign to do a complete 180 as quickly as the Bucks have so far this year.</p><p>Giannis Antetokounmpo has been dominant since the season began, but the Bucks as a whole appear much more connected on the defensive end as of late, and role players like Gary Trent Jr. and AJ Green have added some much needed outside shooting after rough starts to the year.</p><p>It also helps that Khris Middleton recently returned to the lineup from an injury that caused him to miss the first chunk of the season.</p><p>In any case, the Bucks will next take the floor on Friday evening on the road vs the Cleveland Cavaliers, looking to salvage their first win of the season against their central division rivals. That game will tip off at 7:30 PM ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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