The Milwaukee Bucks have been drawn to acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat. However, the Phoenix Suns are another team paying close attention to a possible trade for the six-time All-Star. This led to trade talks involving NBA star Bradley Beal, a star that the Heat aren’t interested.
According to NBA Insider Marc Stein, the Bucks are interested in revisiting trading for Beal, absorbing his five-year, $250 million deal.
“The Bucks, to this point, have been more frequently painted as a team likely to rekindle their previous interest in Phoenix’s Bradley Beal if they intend to pursue a trade for a player in the $50 million range,” Stein reported.
“The reality in Milwaukee, in any case, is that the Bucks can’t make a trade run at either player unless they first dodge second apron restrictions by finding a taker for Pat Connaughton’s $9.4 million contract in a deal that does not require them to take back salary.”
The latest Sunday Best around-the-league notes from NBA Trade Season: https://t.co/fvZOuVIGHf pic.twitter.com/iWZZpi6O3U
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 20, 2025
Stein also reported that a three-team trade would fulfill Butler’s preference of playing for the Suns with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. However, the insider pointed out that Milwaukee and Phoenix lack picks they could package for the Heat.
Acquiring Beal would be revisiting the Bucks’ trade option in 2023. Before trading for Damian Lillard, Milwaukee explored the option of trading for the former Washington Wizards star.
Bucks linked to Western Conference big man
While the Bucks are doing well with their 23-17 record in the Eastern Conference, they haven’t closed their options as the Feb 6. NBA trade deadline approaches. One of the players on their radar is Dallas Mavericks big man Daniel Gafford.
Gafford has been made available by the Mavs after 40 games. The center still has two years left in his contract and is set to make $13.4 million this season. In the 2025-26 campaign, the big man will earn $14 million.
One proposal by Ryan Stano of Sports Illustrated for Milwaukee to acquire Gafford involves a trade package around Bobby Portis Jr., AJ Johnson, MarJon Beauchamp, a 2031 first-round pick swap, and a 2031 second-round pick. For the Mavs, they’ll include Dante Exum and Markieff Morris in the deal.
Last season, Dallas traded for Gafford from the Washington Wizards. The transaction proved to be helpful for the franchise as it helped them reach the NBA Finals. This season, the 6-foot-10 big man is averaging 11.7 points and 6.0 rebounds.
Trading for the big man will also address the Bucks’ frontcourt future. Their starting center, Brook Lopez, is on an expiring $23 million contract.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
