With Giannis Antetokounmpo approaching free agency, many around the NBA think the Milwaukee Bucks need to make a big move to advance deeper into the postseason this year and secure an extension with the back-to-back MVP.
One agent told The Athletic that trading for Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul may be the solution.
The Athletic interviewed 20 agents for an anonymous NBA agents survey to learn their thoughts on players and teams around the league.
Five of the agents said the Bucks are the team that most needs to make a big trade.
The agent said:
“They’re on the clock with Giannis. I think it would be they just have too much at stake. They have potential championships hanging in the balance if you lose this guy and I think he’s going to want to see some kind of improvement from them.
I think Chris Paul, financially they’d have to figure it out, but he’s exactly what they need there.”
Milwaukee is well over the salary cap, but they have enough players on large contracts that they should be able to figure out financials. Eric Bledsoe and George Hill combine for $26 million, and if they guarantee Ersan Ilyasova’s contract and include him, that number jumps to $33 million.
The Bucks would lose depth, but for a player of Paul’s caliber, it’s a risk Milwaukee may have to take.
Many agents do expect Paul to change teams, though perhaps not to the Bucks. Five agents said he’s the highest profile player most likely to change teams this offseason. That was the highest number of votes a player got in this survey.