Milwaukee Bucks: 11 potential trade partners for Eric Bledsoe
By Kenny Jilek
Group 1: Rebuilding Teams
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers have some veterans, but guys at the top of their payroll like Kevin Love and Andre Drummond are probably unrealistic and trading for Drummond would be extremely contrary to Milwaukee’s offensive philosophy. Larry Nance could be a target, but there would have to be a lot more to sweeten the deal, unless something crazy happened like Bledsoe, Hill, and Lopez for Love and Nance.
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons are short on veterans and tradeable assets, so there isn’t much there, but they could try to parse out some sort of deal. The most likely scenario, if something did happen, would be a swap with Bledsoe and Derrick Rose with some throw-ins if both teams decided they wanted to move on from their current options. With that said, they’re both similar explosive point guards that struggle shooting from the outside so it’s unlikely.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Next, are the Minnesota Timberwolves who don’t really have a true point guard with D’Angelo Russell playing 89 percent of his minutes at the one. They definitely aren’t looking to move on from Karl-Anthony Towns or many other players from their young core, but James Johnson could be on the block and has turned himself into a solid 3-and-D player in the last few years and could add some much needed toughness to this Milwaukee Bucks’ squad. The Wolves would need to add more to that trade and they likely won’t want to part ways with much else, but it’s worth a call to see what they would be willing to give up.
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns made a splash in the bubble going 8-0, but still missing the playoffs and they’ll look to build off of that next season. Their point guard is Ricky Rubio who is similar to Bledsoe in the same way Derrick Rose is and they also have very few veterans. Out of all the options, this may be the least likely. Maybe the Bucks make a run at Devin Booker, who knows.
San Antonio Spurs
Out of all the non-playoff teams that could be looking for a point guard upgrade, the Spurs have the most to offer in the way of veteran talent. Also, they are probably the least likely to be deterred by Bledsoe’s shooting woes in the playoffs because of Gregg Popovich’s philosophy of taking what the defense gives which is often mid-range shots, not three-pointers. Lamarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay, and Patty Mills all have contracts that are attainable for the Bucks and if they throw in a first-round pick a deal could get done.