The trade Milwaukee is trying to make before the registration deadline
Before Milwaukee Bucks start a key NBA campaign in 2025-26 on Wednesday night against the Washington Wizards, they must finalize their roster. While there are plenty of people who might not care who rounds out the bench for this team, this decision is pretty important. Another early playoff exit could spell it the end of the Giannis Antetokounmpo eraand to avoid that, the franchise needs to fix its supporting cast problem.
Therefore, the question of “who will make the team” carries more weight in Milwaukee than perhaps in any other NBA city. The organization is hard at work trying to sort everything out before opening a report. His latest activity suggests as much.
“Over the weekend, the Bucks evaluated the trade market for Smith, league sources told HoopsHipe,” writes NBA insider Michael Scotto. “If Milwaukee does not find a suitable trade partner before Monday’s roster cutoff deadline of 5:00 p.m. ET, Smith is expected to be waived, league sources said.
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints had previously reported on the team’s expected decision to part with the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.Smith was believed to be competing with fellow former second-rounder Andre Jackson Jr. and veteran Amir Coffey. It’s practical that Bucks general manager Jon Horst is looking into possible trade partners, but the league is apparently hesitant to give up future assets for the largely unproven Smith.
The former Elite Overtime forward averaged 2.9 points on 48 percent shooting in 5.3 minutes per contest last season. Given the small sample size, it is difficult to properly assess his potential. Again, Milwaukee can’t afford to blow this move.
There will likely be a team at least considering taking 6-foot-11 Tyler Smith and adding him to their G League roster. The Bucks need to think long and hard about whether the 20-year-old will fit into their long-term plans because they may not be able to flip.
2025-10-20 16:08:00
