Milwaukee Bucks
Deadline target: Robert Williams III
While there have been some whispers over the last couple of weeks that the Milwaukee Bucks could be in the market for a high-salary player to help shake up their roster at the NBA Trade Deadline, I'm not sure if I quite buy a huge change for the franchise. Not in-season. Instead, I look at this roster and believe they just need a spark. The Bucks have been playing much better of late and need somewhat of a sparkplug type of player to help this team reawaken down the stretch. One player who could fit that mold in the frontcourt is Robert Williams III.
RWIII is not the rising defensive player he was a few years ago with the Boston Celtics but if he can even be 80 percent of that player with the Bucks, it would be a huge win for the team at the trade deadline. He would help take some of the immense frontcourt load off Brook Lopez's shoulders and would add another element to the center position that the team currently doesn't have on their roster. Perhaps most importantly, he would help reenergize this team as they prepare for the stretch run in the second half of the season.
Memphis Grizzlies
Deadline target: Deni Avdija
It's become pretty clear that the Memphis Grizzlies have emerged as a potential dark horse threat in the Western Conference. Currently in a battle for the No. 2 seed with the Houston Rockets, it will admittedly be interesting to see how the Grizzlies operate heading into the NBA Trade Deadline. In theory, this is a team that should be aggressive. With how wide open the Western Conference race looks at the moment (perhaps with the exception of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have their own questions about their experience), it would be foolish for the Grizzlies not to explore a splash move at the deadline.
The question is, will the right move arise for the team? This could be debated but I look at a player like Deni Avdija and believe he could be a real asset for the Grizzlies down the stretch. As a player who got off to a pretty slow start to the year, Avdija has truly turned it on over the last two months of the season. For as well as Avdija has played for the Portland Trail Blazers, he's unlikely to be considered a huge foundational part of the franchise moving forward. The Blazers should be open to listening to offers for Avdija and the Grizzlies should absolutely make an inquiry.