THURSDAY, 7:31am: Henson is available only for deals in which the Bucks would acquire a top-notch point guard in return, rival executives tell Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. Milwaukee appears to be targeting a “splashy addition” for Henson, as sources tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, who suggests that Jackson and Lawson would fit that bill.
WEDNESDAY, 5:07pm: The Bucks are anxious to make a trade in the wake of reportedly reaching a buyout arrangement with Larry Sanders, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reports. Milwaukee has been dangling Ersan Ilyasova, O.J. Mayo and John Henson in offers to other teams, Kyler notes. With Sanders’ cap hit beginning with next season being pared down significantly with the team poised to use the stretch provision to waive him, the Bucks will have some breathing room under the salary cap they can use to nab a player who is set to command big money as a free agent this summer, Kyler adds.
Milwaukee is in the market for a point guard, and has been mentioned in connection with Ty Lawson (Nuggets), Reggie Jackson (Thunder), and the Bucks have also been linked to big man Enes Kanter (Jazz), Kyler notes. The Bucks have maintained the stance that they would not mortgage their future for a quick fix, but they seem to be open to making a move that would bolster the roster for 2015/16 as well as improve the team’s shot at a playoff spot, the Basketball Insiders scribe relays.
Mayo, 27, is making $8MM this season, and is on the books for an identical amount for 2015/16. He has appeared in 53 contests this season, including 15 as a starter. Mayo’s numbers on the year are 11.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. His career stats are 14.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 3.0 APG. His slash line is .432/.378/.823.
Ilyasova has two more years remaining on his deal, which carries a cap hit of $7.9MM for this season and next, and his $8.4MM salary for 2016/17 is partially guaranteed for just $400K. In 30 appearances this season, Ilyasova is notching 8.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per night. His career numbers are 10.4 PPG and 6.0 RPG.
Henson, the 24-year-old big man out of North Carolina, also has a season remaining on his contract. He is earning $1,987,320 for the season and is set to make $2,943,221 next season. Henson’s numbers on the year are 7.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 17.9 minutes per game.
I think I can speak for all Bucks fans, please do NOT trade away Henson, he is second overall on the Bucks roster with PER… and per 36 he’s at 3.7 blocks this year. Rudy Gobert-esque with a dash or two of Mutombo…
NO NO NO! *shakes finger*
Have you ever watched him actually play defense? His box score stats look good but hes almost always getting pushed around. Hes soft as Charmin, 2 blocks a game doesn’t mean much when you cant box out and get a rebound. Trade him while his value is highest
What about brandon knight does he move to shooting guard?
That or trade him. Middleton is a way better SG so I would love to see the Bucks trade Knight and their Clippers 2017 1st for Lawson, then sign a big man next year.
I dont know man, Knight is a play maker and he’s only getting better. Went to the same high school as me so I have been watching him closely ever since high school, the guy gets better every single game and his ceiling is so high. Why trade him for Lawson when knight may have a higher ceiling.
Because Knight will get 12-14 a season easily, Lawson makes the same and actually helps his team. Brandon Knight and his 5 assists and 42% shooting can go collect that money on another team. Lawson will cost about the same as Knight but you are getting a better player overall, and a veteran who is still under 30. Knight is good, but HIGHLY over rated by Bucks fans, just because he takes the most shots on the team doesn’t mean hes our best player. Giannis, Middleton and Jabari (likely) all have brighter futures and Giannis will get paid big time in a couple years, I’d rather have Lawsons contract expiring as that happens than having Knight make 14-16 Mil in 2016-2017
And Knight is only a “playmaker” for himself, he doesn’t create shots for other players, he dribbles with his head down and forces dumb shots. He doesn’t feed Giannis the ball when Giannis has an obvious mismatch, same went for Jabari earlier in the year. Knight is either a SG or a 6th man, and Middleton is a WAY better SG than Knight.