From no-trade clauses to luxury tax restrictions, how can the Milwaukee Bucks make a trade?
NEW YORK – If there is one thing Jon Horst isn’t afraid of, it’s trying to improve the roster of the Milwaukee Bucks to try to maximize the championship window and MVP-caliber play of Giannis Antetokounmpo. The general manager’s moves have varied in scope, however, since he took over in the summer of 2017.
Horst has done much of his work in the summer months, from signing Brook Lopez to trading for Jrue Holiday, but he’s made in-season moves as well: George Hill (December, 2018), Nikola Mirotić (February, 2019), P.J. Tucker (March, 2021), Jevon Carter and Serge Ibaka (February, 2022) have been acquired in recent seasons.
If Horst seeks to change the Bucks roster during this season, though, some creativity will be needed. Here is a breakdown of key people, dates and figures as the season rolls on to the Feb. 9 trade deadline.
What are the key dates for the Bucks to make a move before the NBA trade deadline?
Jan. 15: Jordan Nwora and Bobby Portis are eligible to be traded.
Jan. 18: Pat Connaughton is eligible to be traded.
Jan. 20: All two-way contracts are guaranteed for remainder of season.
Feb. 9: NBA trade deadline.
March 1: Playoff eligibility waiver deadline.
Do some Bucks have no-trade clauses?
Yes.
By re-signing with the Bucks in the offseason, Wesley Matthews and Serge Ibaka have implicit no-trade clauses in their one-year contracts. If they were to be dealt, they would have to agree on any deal.
Jevon Carter also has an implicit no-trade clause in his contract, but he could be dealt without his approval only if he agreed to pick up his 2023-24 player option.
These no-trade clauses are a byproduct of the collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and the players association. They are different from, for example, the negotiated no-trade clause Washington gave Bradley Beal in his recent extension.
Any other interesting contract information?
Once Bobby Portis is eligible to be traded, a 15% trade kicker will be added to his salary if he is dealt.
Can the Bucks trade a first-round draft pick?
Yes. League rules will allow Horst to include the Bucks’ 2029 first-round pick in a deal.
Milwaukee does not own its 2023 (Houston), 2025 and 2027 (New Orleans) first-round picks.
New Orleans has the right to swap first-round picks with the Bucks in 2024 and 2026, which means those picks cannot be dealt until that draft night.
League rules prevent the Bucks from trading their 2028 first-round pick.
The Bucks do have a cache of second-round picks (six through 2027), as well, to help round out any deals.
Do the Bucks have to move players off the roster to make a deal?
Yes.
They currently have the maximum number of guaranteed contracts on the roster with 15, along with 2 two-way contracts. To bring any player or players in, the same number of players would have to be moved.
Do the Bucks have the financial ability to take on salary?
Yes, but not much.
The Bucks are into the luxury tax very, very deeply – and may sink deeper still depending on which bonuses Jrue Holiday hits by the end of the season. But Horst has the freedom from ownership to use some of the wiggle room the league allows, which would be taking on 125% of any salary going out, plus $100,000.
In simple math, if they trade a player making $1 million they can take back a player making $1,350,000.
Hoops Hype salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan provided a more specific example: If the Bucks wanted to move Grayson Allen and George Hill’s combined salary of $12.5 million, they can bring back a player (or players) making $15.575 million.
What would that do to the Bucks’ tax bill? In Gozlan’s estimation, the additional $3.225 million in salary would increase the Bucks’ tax bill by $14 million. (The tax is calculated at end of the regular season, so numbers are just educated estimations.)
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Bucks in position to trade before deadline but it's not easy
