Bucks proposed trade flips Khris Middleton for trio of Nets forwards

The Milwaukee Bucks have won six of their last seven games entering Sunday. This stretch of dominance has the team just five games behind the second-seeded Boston Celtics. While a small sample, in their last three games, the Bucks are averaging over 127 points. Their path to a championship is dependent on the combination of a similar offensive output with their defense which boasts the league's third-best defensive rating over the past 15 games.

Meanwhile, the trade deadline is less than three weeks away. A move would ideally reinforce a surprisingly middle-of-the-pack offense. Fortunately, the tanking Brooklyn Nets have a myriad of expendable win-now veterans. A trade involving the two organizations could resemble the following proposal:

Bucks receive: Nic Claxton, Bojan Bogdanovic, Ziaire Williams

Nets receive: Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton, 2031 first-round pick, 2031 second-round pick

As a second-apron team, the expiring contracts of Bogdanovic and Williams give the Bucks some salary cap relief in the upcoming offseason. Unfortunately, Bogdanovic has yet to appear in a game this season as he recovers from foot surgery, but there is speculation on a possible return before the February 6th trade deadline. There is no official timetable, however.

The 35-year old bucket-getter averaged 15.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists a season ago. Additionally, Bogdanovic shot 39.8 percent from three on 5.9 attempts per game. His availability is a concern as he has not played more than 72 games in a season since the 2019 season with the Indiana Pacers.

Williams was the No. 10 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. The 23-year old wing is averaging career-highs of 9.7 points and 4.7 rebounds to go along with 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals in 22.7 minutes. The six-foot, nine-inch Williams is shooting just 33 percent from three on 3.8 attempts per game this season. Discouragingly, his underwhelming three-point percentage is the high-water mark in his career.

The Bucks have been rumored to be in the market for a reliable complement to 36-year old Brook Lopez, specifically a lob threat. Claxton would be an ideal fit for that role and could easily start when necessary. This season, the 25-year old athletic big man has caught 40 alley-oops while averaging 9.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 0.9 steals in 26.2 minutes.

Claxton complements Lopez well because he offers mobility and athleticism that the fringe Hall of Famer doesn't. Also unlike Lopez, Claxton is a non-shooter and is a poor free-throw shooter. In his career, the former second-round pick has shot 54.1 percent from the line. For comparison, Giannis Antetokounmpo is shooting 60.1 percent from the field this season.

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