The Milwaukee Bucks might be running out of time.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has said he won't be requesting a trade. But even with that said, the Bucks only have so long to maximize their superstar's ability.
This season's team simply isn't good enough to do that, and that could lead to action at the trade deadline to supplement Giannis, rather than move him.
The logical trade candidate would be Kyle Kuzma, in large part for salary reasons, writes ESPN's Bobby Marks.
"For now, the Bucks are looking to improve the roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo and not trade the two-time MVP," Marks writes. "Because this roster is top-heavy in salary (11 players earn less than $5.1 million), Kuzma is the likely odd man out if the Bucks were to pursue Michael Porter Jr. Or even Ja Morant. Kuzma has a $22.4 million cap hit this season and a $20.3 million cap hit in 2026-27."
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The Bucks have given other teams a bit of a Kuzma blueprint by bringing him off the bench lately.
"Kuzma has started 73% of the games he has played in since 2017-18 but has fared better as of late coming off the bench," Marks writes. "In 23 games as a reserve this season, he is shooting 54.8% from the field and 36.7% from 3."
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The Bucks could probably use backcourt help (like Morant) more than a guy who is basically a better version of Kuzma (like Porter).
But if they can use other assets to combine with Kuzma to get a star-power upgrade, it's worth considering for the Bucks. They need to do what they can to put a better team onto the court around Giannis.
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