Milwaukee Bucks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

O’Connor’s Latest: Bucks, Mavs, LaVine, Gordon, More

November 12th, 2020 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks are active in trade discussions and have offered point guard Eric Bledsoe to multiple teams, league sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. As the Bucks look to upgrade their roster around reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and standout forward Khris Middleton, it sounds like they’re focusing on two-way forwards with defensive versatility — according to O’Connor, the club is pursuing Rockets veterans Robert Covington and P.J. Tucker.

O’Connor’s latest mock draft at The Ringer includes plenty of interesting tidbits, including a couple we’ve already passed along. Here are a few more highlights:

Multiple teams, including the Mavericks, have contacted the Bulls this offseason to inquire on Zach LaVine‘s availability, says O’Connor. It’s not clear if Chicago would have any interest in moving its leading scorer.
League sources tell The Ringer that the Magic have made efforts to move up into the lottery by attaching Aaron Gordon to their No. 15 selection.
O’Connor writes that the Suns are “hoping” to use their No. 10 pick in a trade for Chris Paul. That would seemingly contradict an earlier report that suggested Phoenix probably wouldn’t that pick in an offer for the Thunder point guard.
Executives around the NBA are fairly confident that Deni Avdija won’t fall past Cleveland at No. 5, according to O’Connor, who is the latest to report that the Cavaliers are high on the Israeli wing.
There has been increasing buzz surrounding Serbian forward Aleksej Pokusevski, with execs around the league increasingly believing that he’ll be a lottery pick, per O’Connor.
Oregon guard Payton Pritchard is receiving interest from multiple teams near the end of the first round, sources tell O’Connor. One of those sources thinks Pritchard may even have a promise.

Spurs Shopping Mills, Aldridge, DeRozan?

November 12th, 2020 at 12:29pm CST by Luke Adams

As we detailed on Wednesday, there has been increasing chatter as of late about the possibility that the Spurs will have an active offseason. Addressing that possibility within his latest mock draft, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer reports that San Antonio is shopping point guard Patty Mills and is also “looking to unload” veterans LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan.

All three players are entering contract years in 2020/21, with Mills set to earn $13.3MM, Aldridge to make $24MM, and DeRozan on the books for $27.7MM.

According to O’Connor, the Bucks and Sixers are among the teams that have expressed interest in Mills. If the Spurs were to make a deal with Philadelphia, Josh Richardson would likely head to San Antonio in the swap, O’Connor notes.

As for Aldridge and DeRozan, O’Connor confirms that there is buzz – first reported by ESPN’s Zach Lowe – about the possibility of the Warriors pursuing Aldridge in a deal that would involve the No. 2 pick in the draft. It’s not clear exactly what such a trade would look like, but Andrew Wiggins would presumably have to be included for salary-matching purposes.

Meanwhile, O’Connor has also heard that the Lakers have some interest in acquiring DeRozan, suggesting that Danny Green and Kyle Kuzma would be part of a hypothetical deal. In order to match DeRozan’s $27.7MM cap hit, the Lakers would have to add a few million more dollars to that package.

The Spurs typically don’t make major splashes on the trade market unless their hand is forced, as in the case of 2018’s Kawhi Leonard blockbuster. However, with virtually all of their veteran players – including Rudy Gay – expected to be on expiring contracts next season, the team could have some interesting options available as it looks to pivot to building around its younger generation of players.

Sterling Brown Reaches Settlement Agreement With City Of Milwaukee

November 9th, 2020 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Bucks guard Sterling Brown has reached a $750K settlement agreement with the City of Milwaukee stemming from his lawsuit accusing police officers of racially profiling him and employing excessive force for a January 2018 parking violation, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.

It was over a year ago that Brown turned down a $400K settlement offer from the city. That offer also didn’t include an admission of liability, which was a sticking point for the Bucks guard. As Charania details, the new agreement will see the city admit to a constitutional violation and commit to incorporating changes in the Police Department’s standard operating procedures.

Draft Rumors: Avdija, Warriors, Okongwu, Trades, More

November 5th, 2020 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

The list of teams that have talked to Israeli wing Deni Avdija includes the Hawks, Pistons, Cavaliers, Spurs, and Bucks, according to Ethan Strauss of The Athletic.

Those first three teams all have draft picks in the top seven and San Antonio could theoretically move up from No. 11, but it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which Milwaukee would have a shot at Avdija. Strauss adds that Avdija is believed to prefer to land with the Warriors, who worked him out last month.

Speaking of the Warriors, as they mull the possibility of trading down from No. 2, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report says there are definitely players they like who will be available in the mid-to-late lottery range. If they remain at No. 2, James Wiseman is probably the favorite, according to Wasserman, who hears Golden State is higher on Wiseman than Anthony Edwards. The team is also believed to be high on Avdija and Devin Vassell, Wasserman adds.

Here’s more on the draft:

Wasserman provides a few more interesting tidbits within his latest mock draft for Bleacher Report, writing that Patrick Williams has become a “coveted target” for the Pistons, the Suns have legit interest in Kira Lewis, and the Kings are heavily weighing analytics as they mull their draft options. Previous reports indicated that Williams is in play for Detroit at No. 7 and that Phoenix has interviewed Lewis more than once.
Projected lottery pick Onyeka Okongwu has recently met with the Hornets, Spurs, and Wizards and will meet with the Cavaliers this week, tweets Wasserman. Teams believe that Okongwu could come off the board as high as No. 3 to Charlotte and is unlikely to fall past Washington at No. 9, Wasserman notes (via Twitter).
ESPN’s Zach Lowe doesn’t expect any teams with first-round picks to sell them, but wouldn’t be surprised if some clubs look to swap a late first-rounder for a “roughly equivalent” future pick. He also says it’s a safe bet that a number of second-rounders will be sold for cash.

Bucks Rumors: Giannis, Bogdanovic, Barnes, Oladipo

November 5th, 2020 at 10:12am CST by Luke Adams

Many people within the Bucks organization remain confident that Giannis Antetokounmpo will sign the five-year, super-max extension the team is prepared to offer him once the NBA’s new league year begins, writes Zach Lowe of ESPN.

As Lowe writes, the Bucks’ plan if Antetokounmpo doesn’t sign that extension before the start of the 2020/21 season hasn’t changed — the team still has no intention of trading him and is prepared to play out the year with or without a long-term deal in place.

Here’s more on the Bucks from Lowe’s super-sized offseason preview at ESPN.com:

Confirming an October report that suggested the Bucks will pursue Bogdan Bogdanovic, Lowe says Milwaukee “loves” the Kings‘ restricted free agent swingman. According to Lowe, the Bucks have explored some sign-and-trade ideas involving Bogdanovic that would also see them take on Sacramento forward Harrison Barnes. However, it’s unclear if they’ve engaged in the Kings in any real trade talks or if those discussions have been mostly internal and/or exploratory.
The Bucks are keeping an eye on Pacers guard Victor Oladipo, but no substantive talks have taken place yet between Milwaukee and Indiana, sources tell ESPN. Many of the teams monitoring Oladipo would like to see him in action again before engaging with the Pacers, Lowe adds.
There has been no traction – and possibly no talks – on a potential Chris Paul trade between the Thunder and Bucks, multiple sources tell Lowe. A previous report indicated that Milwaukee was unlikely to pursue the All-Star point guard.

Charles Lee Receiving Serious Consideration From Thunder

November 4th, 2020 at 11:53am CST by Luke Adams

Spurs assistant coach Will Hardy, Bucks assistant Charles Lee, and Oklahoma City assistant Mark Daigneault are among the candidates who have received strong consideration for the Thunder‘s open head coaching position, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times.

Bulls Hiring Maurice Cheeks, Josh Longstaff As Assistants

November 2nd, 2020 at 11:13am CST by Luke Adams

Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has begun to fill out his new coaching staff, as Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that Maurice Cheeks will be an assistant under Donovan in Chicago. The team is also hiring Josh Longstaff away from the Bucks to be an assistant coach on Donovan’s staff, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Cheeks is a logical fit for the Bulls, having been an assistant under Donovan with the Thunder for the last five years. He’s also a Chicago native, so joining the Bulls will be a homecoming for him. In addition to his two stints in Oklahoma City as an assistant coach, Cheeks has been an assistant for the 76ers and served as a head coach in Portland, Philadelphia, and Detroit.

As for Longstaff, he’s another former Thunder assistant, though he worked for the team from 2010-14 and didn’t overlap with Donovan. Since then, he has been an assistant for the Knicks, the head coach of the G League’s Erie BayHawks, and – for the last two years – a member of Mike Budenholzer‘s staff in Milwaukee. He’ll get the opportunity to become a front-of-the-bench assistant in Chicago, Wojnarowski notes.

The Bulls announced last month that assistants Roy Rogers, Dean Cooper, Nate Loenser, and Karen Stack Umlauf wouldn’t be returning to the team. Although the club is revamping its coaching staff for Donovan, it sounds like there will be at least one holdover in Chris Fleming.

Alex Lasry Examines Bucks Defeat

October 29th, 2020 at 8:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Bucks vice president Alex Lasry, son of co-owner Marc Lasry, spoke with David Aldridge of The Athletic about why the top-seeded squad fell apart early in the 2020 NBA playoffs. “The series against the Heat, very easily, could have been, we could have been up 3-1,” Lasry said. “We just didn’t execute the way we normally do, and had all season. And you’ve got to give a lot of credit to the Heat.” The Bucks lost in five games to Miami during the second round of the playoffs.

Lakers, Bucks, Sixers Have Interest In Tyrell Terry

October 29th, 2020 at 3:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers, Bucks, and Sixers are among the teams displaying interest in Stanford’s Tyrell Terry, according to Wasserman.

[SOURCE LINK]

Bucks, Pacers Have Reportedly Discussed Victor Oladipo

October 29th, 2020 at 9:39am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have talked to the Bucks about a trade involving Victor Oladipo, league sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. However, O’Connor cautions that at this point a deal seems unlikely.

Oladipo, who is entering a contract year, has become a frequent subject of trade speculation in recent months, since it’s unclear whether he’ll remain in Indiana beyond his current contract. A report earlier this week suggested the two-time All-Star likes playing with the Pacers and would be happy to sign a big new deal with the team, but an earlier story had indicated he may be “looking to move on” from Indiana.

The Bucks, meanwhile, will be seeking out roster upgrades this offseason as they attempt to boost their title chances following a disappointing second-round playoff exit and convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to sign a long-term contract with the franchise. Chris Paul has been mentioned as one possible target for Milwaukee, though a September report stated that the club is “highly unlikely” to aggressively pursue the veteran point guard.

While Oladipo would be an intriguing addition to an already formidable Bucks defense, his offsensive game didn’t look quite right in 2019/20 as he returned from the quad tendon injury that sidelined him for a full year. If he could recapture his form from the previous two seasons – when he averaged 21.7 PPG and 4.6 APG on .461/.362/.780 shooting – he may be just the sort of play-maker, scorer, and shooter that Milwaukee needs in its backcourt.

Any Bucks offer for Oladipo would probably have to start with point guard Eric Bledsoe for salary-matching purposes and would likely see the Pacers’ 2020 first-round pick returned to Indiana. I imagine the Pacers would seek another future first-round pick or other additional assets for Oladipo, while the Bucks may be reluctant to go all-in on a player who didn’t look fully healthy in ’19/20.

The Pacers and Bucks, two Central rivals, did come together last year to complete a sign-and-trade involving Malcolm Brogdon, so respective heads of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard and Jon Horst have worked with one another before.