Milwaukee is 0-3, and the trade talk around it is louder than the detail behind it. Only Jake Fischer's Oct. 15 item rated above 45, and nothing since has added terms.
Sept. 23
The league's inquiry into the Gary Trent Jr. trade was reported on Sept. 23, and no new detail has followed. Trent is on the sheet at $15.2M, fifth among the club's biggest contracts. It is the oldest open thread and the quietest. A probe with no update is a reason for caution, not a forecast of anything.
Oct. 15
Jake Fischer reported the Bucks, Lakers and Grizzlies exploring trades. That item rated 63, the highest of any report on this club. His follow-up a day later, adding the Hornets, rated 34. Exploring is not shopping a named player, and no specifics have surfaced since. The direction is credible. The particulars are empty.
Oct. 19
Milwaukee cut Kevin Porter Jr., a confirmed move. Pete Nance was waived Oct. 17 and re-signed to a two-way contract, reported Oct. 20 and rated 39. Both are roster housekeeping. Neither points to a trade, and neither should be read as one.
Oct. 22
hoopsrumors reported that the Bucks are among the teams the Warriors contacted about Porzingis. It rated 41 and remains open. Payroll is $191.4M, over the cap and $9.0M under the $200.4M tax line. Herro, Turner, Lillard's $22.5M option and Kuzma are the large numbers. No salary figure is attached to the report, so fit cannot be judged.
Oct. 24
hoopsrumors reported that the Bucks turned down a potential Porter trade with the Nuggets. It rated 45, no terms were given, and it came five days after the cut. That timing raises its own question. The same day brought a report on Malik Beasley's guilty plea, rated 44. It names no Bucks player, so it is noise here.
Did the Bucks turn down a Kevin Porter Jr. trade?
hoopsrumors reported on Oct. 24 that they did, with no terms given. The report is open at a confidence of 45, and the Bucks had cut Porter five days earlier.
Can the Bucks add salary before the tax line?
Payroll is $191.4M, over the cap and under the $200.4M tax line, which leaves $9.0M of room beneath the tax. Whether a specific deal fits depends on salaries that none of the open reports provide.
