NBA Rumors: The Milwaukee Bucks may be interested in trading for Bradley Beal. Let's explore what a trade for Beal could look like for the Bucks.
As the Milwaukee Bucks continue to search for ways to make a splash move ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline, there has been some speculation that they could be a surprise team interested in Bradley Beal. They've had interest in him in the past and if the Phoenix Suns are looking to dump him, there's a belief the Bucks would at least explore what that could look like. While that's far from a certainty at this point for several reasons, there's enough smoke where it would make some sense to explore to see what that could look like.
The first thing the Bucks would have to do for a Beal trade to be a remote possibility is to get under the second apron. If they would want to aggregate contracts to get a deal done for Beal, they have to cut roughly $6.5 million. That means the Bucks would have to trade Pat Connaughton in a separate deal before they start talking Beal.
For the sake of this article, let's assume Milwaukee is able to accomplish that. From this point forward, we're going to discuss the Bucks and act as if they're not a second-apron team. That means they can now aggregate contracts in a potential deal for Beal. Under that assumption, it will become that much easier to explore what a trade for Beal would look like.
What a Bradley Beal to the Bucks trade would look like
Once the Bucks drop below the second apron, it becomes pretty clear what a potential package for Beal would look like. At the very least, the Bucks would have to send out significant money. Whether it's a 1-1 trade or a multi-team deal, Milwaukee will need to shed significant salary. That means a player like Khris Middleton almost has to be involved. After that, the Bucks would still have to move Bobby Portis and another smaller piece. If it was a simple 1-for-1 deal, which it probably wouldn't be, it could look something like this:
Trade idea No. 1
Of course, even if this move were to work once the Bucks get out of that second apron, you'd have to wonder why this would make sense for the Suns. The only reason they would want to trade Beal would be to land a bigger star like Jimmy Butler. This move would not really help them accomplish that. Unless, of course, this becomes a multi-team deal with the inclusion of the Miami Heat. What could that type of deal look like?
Trade idea No. 2
If the Heat, Suns, and Bucks wanted to work through a trade to help all involved find a sweet spot, this could be the deal to keep an eye out for. I'm not sure if the Bucks would be interested in such a move because losing Portis could be a huge hit to their frontcourt depth but the option could be there once they remove themselves as a second apron team.
Then again, such blockbuster moves are pretty rare to happen at the NBA Trade Deadline. Maybe this is an idea that reemerges at some point during the offseason. But, if the Bucks wanted, they could be a key toward facilitating this deal over the next couple of weeks. At the very least, it's something to keep in the back of our minds as the trade deadline quickly approaches.