The Milwaukee Bucks are set to acquire backup center Jericho Sims from the New York Knicks, NBA sources have confirmed to Shams Charania of ESPN.
The deal will be part of a larger transaction involving Milwaukee and Washington, as reported earlier today. That part of the trade sends Kyle Kuzma to the Bucks and Khris Middleton to the Wizards.
In return for Sims, New York will receive guard Delon Wright and cash, according to Charania. Milwaukee is restricted to sending cash as part of the trade due to being below the second apron once the deal is completed.
Additionally, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reports that the Knicks will also send the draft rights to French big man Mathias Lessort in exchange for the draft rights to French guard Hugo Besson.
Sims, 26, is in his fourth season with the Knicks after being selected with the 58th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-9 center has appeared in 39 games this season, but his playing time has dipped to a career-low 10.8 minutes per game, with averages of just 1.6 points and 3.3 rebounds.
He is on a $2 million expiring contract and will become an unrestricted free agent after the season. The Bucks were reportedly among the teams showing interest in Sims, along with both Los Angeles teams and Denver, as noted by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
The acquisition of Sims raises questions about the Knicks’ plans, as it could signal their intent to add another big man ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. Mitchell Robinson is still recovering from offseason ankle surgery but is reportedly making progress toward a return.
As for Wright, the 32-year-old guard is in his first season with the Bucks after signing a one-year, $2 million contract in the offseason. But Wright has struggled with his shooting, hitting just 26.8% of his field goals and 24.5% of his three-point attempts, while averaging 2.5 points per game in 26 appearances.
Like Sims, Wright is also headed for free agency this summer.
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