NBA Trade Rumors: 1 eye-opening stat proves the Milwaukee Bucks need to be very aggressive heading into the NBA Trade Deadline.
When it comes to name recognition, the Milwaukee Bucks are probably a team most believe has the talent to emerge as a contender down the stretch in the Eastern Conference. With the talent level they have on their roster, the Bucks should be considered an outside threat once the NBA Playoffs begin. However, there are some big questions about this team's ability to make a strong run down the stretch.
In fact, there's probably one eye-opening stat or trend that hammers home the idea that the Bucks probably need to make a bold move at the NBA Trade Deadline if they want to emerge as a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference playoffs. While the Bucks are a good team, I'm not sure they're a great one. Against the top 3 teams in the East (Cleveland, Boston, and New York), the Bucks are a combined 0-8 this season. Considering that the Bucks are going to have to go through at least two of those three teams to make a deep run in the postseason, it's pretty clear Milwaukee has some ground to make up.
The Milwaukee Bucks aren't a contender right now
I'm not sure if there's a move available at the NBA Trade Deadline that would help the Bucks close the gap between them and the top contenders in the East but it's clear there is one. Looking at the landscape of the trade block at the moment, maybe a move for Jimmy Butler is one the team should be eyeing.
I'm not sure how great of an overall fit he'd be on the team but there's no question they could use a star-level player like Jimmy for the stretch run. Jimmy would probably be a better fit next to Damian Lillard than with Giannis Antetokounmpo but maybe head coach Doc Rivers would find a way for it to work. The Bucks clearly need some sort of mid-season boost to this team, a player that would give them some attitude, and one that could slightly raise their ceiling, especially when facing off the top 3 teams in the conference.
For as much as the Bucks may have hoped that Khris Middleton could give the team a much-needed spark when he returned, I'm not sure how much that is going to end up being the case. Instead, if the Bucks want to reemerge as a contender in the East this season, there's a strong argument to be made that they almost certainly have to make a big move via trade. Whether the right move will become available to the Bucks remains to be seen but it's clear they are probably searching.