A handful of Bucks players linked to possible trades

Late last night, the Milwaukee Bucks were involved in multiple trade talks with a handful of their players.

NBA Insider Jake Fischer reported in The Stein Line regarding intel around the league and some teams that are interested in potentially making some trades, with Opening Night rosters having to be finalized on Oct. 19.

Fischer reported earlier that the Bucks were one of the teams exploring trades, as they are currently over the 15-player standard contract limit with 17 players, and now there’s a clearer direction of which players have been involved in potential trade talks.

There were three names that came up, and they were Jericho Sims, Caris LeVert and Kevin Porter Jr. The Los Angeles Lakers were reportedly in talks with Milwaukee for Sims in exchange for Dalton Knecht. 

“League sources say that the Lakers and Bucks have held exploratory trade discussions on a framework that would ship former first-round selection Dalton Knecht to Milwaukee (along with second-round draft capital) in exchange for big man Jericho Sims," Fischer wrote. "Yet it must be said that I've also heard some pessimism from sources briefed on those talks that such a trade will actually go through.”

Knecht was drafted with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft, and got off to a solid start averaging 9.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game on 46.1% shooting from the field and 37.6% from the the 3-point line. However, his production took a dip last year, and after playing in 78 games on 19 minutes per game, he only appeared in 54 games on 10 minutes per game.

As the 25-year-old is still looking to carve out a role, the young Bucks teams that are looking for production from anyone could be a possible suitor for Knecht, but like Fischer reported there have been doubts that an actual trade involving Sims and Knecht will actually go through.

Sims provides great athleticism and rebounding skills, but possible depth for a rebuilding team could be reasonable with Kel'el Ware and Myles Turner as the two main centers. Porter and LeVert were also brought up by Fischer as potential players to be traded to get under the roster limit, rather than simply cutting players who are under contract.

“Sources say that the Bucks have weighed potential deals involving veterans Caris LeVert and Kevin Porter Jr., in addition to possible Sims trades, to avoid simply releasing players under contract.”

Milwaukee's guard room is currently overcrowded, so there was a chance of the Bucks potentially trading one or two of them to deal with the backcourt congestion. With Porter and LeVert both on expiring contracts, they are possible options to be traded to help with the overcrowded guard depth and the roster limit.

Porter has been with Milwaukee for two years after he was acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers in February 2025. He's been productive with the Bucks, averaging 14.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists while shooting 47.4% from the field and 35% from the 3-point line. He’s a shot creator and a playmaker, and he started 36 of 38 games last season, missing the majority of the year due to injuries.

Many people thought he could be the starting point guard despite Ryan Rollins coming off an career-high season, but has struggled in his first few preseason games only averaging, 6.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and three assists per game while shooting 2-for-12 (16.7%) from the field and 0-for-3 from the 3-point line. With his expiring contract and other options at the guard spot, there were questions on whether he was going to be apart of the rebuild and the answer could be approaching

Milwaukee acquried LeVert from the Detroit Pistons this offseason in exchange for Gary Harris and Taurean Prince. LeVert was another guarded the Bucks added to their room and could be a rotational veteran on a young team who needs all the help they could get.

However, like Porter, he as also struggled in the preseason as he's only recorded three points on 1-for-7 (14.3%) shooting from the field, with seven total turnovers through three games.

This season could be a long one for Milwaukee with the state of its current roster and how the team has played during the preseason. While many Bucks players and coaches view this as a building year rather than a rebuilding year, the organization could be in the market to make some moves that could give them a better future.