Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez may soon find themselves as the last men standing from the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2021 NBA title team.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported Friday that the Bucks are making three notable players available for trade — forward Khris Middleton, swingman Pat Connaughton, and big man Bobby Portis. This news comes with just under two weeks to go before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
All three of those players were core components of the Milwaukee team that won it all in 2021. Connaughton is the least surprising trade candidate as he has since fallen out of favor with the Bucks and can become a free agent in the summer. But Middleton and Portis are beloved Milwaukee players who have continued to play meaningful roles for the team through this season. Still though, both Middleton and Portis also have the ability to become free agents this summer, and Middleton especially looks like a shell of himself after undergoing double ankle surgeries in the offseason.
The Bucks are clearly hoping to get younger as their other core players like Antetokounmpo (30), Lopez (36), and Damian Lillard (34) are getting up there in age as it is already. Milwaukee recently bowed out of the scrum for one All-Star trade candidate, but a move to add some fresher legs is likely coming as they try to hold onto a top-four seed in the East at 25-17.
