The Bucks are doing what contenders do when they know the clock is loud.
They’re looking around.
Milwaukee has done recent background work on Kings guard Zach LaVine, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, a familiar name in Bucks rumor cycles and a reminder that standing pat is rarely Plan A when Giannis Antetokounmpo is in his prime.
This is not new curiosity. League sources told Amick that the Bucks have revisited LaVine’s situation in Sacramento, having shown interest in the two-time All-Star before. The difference now is timing, urgency, and a roster that still feels one move short of being fully trusted in May.
LaVine, 30, is owed $47.5 million this season and holds a $48.9 million player option for 2026-27. That option is the elephant in every trade room.
NBA insider Marc Stein has noted that LaVine’s market would likely expand if he were willing to decline it and negotiate a longer-term deal at a lower annual number. Until then, teams are squinting at the math.
On the floor, LaVine has been LaVine. He’s averaging 20.6 points while shooting efficiently, including nearly 39 percent from three. The offense is there. The questions, as usual, live elsewhere.
Sources told DallasHoopsJournal that Kings general manager Scott Perry has grown frustrated with LaVine’s defensive engagement during Sacramento’s uneven start, a sentiment shared internally by coach Doug Christie. The Kings acquired LaVine last season as part of the De’Aaron Fox trade and are still figuring out what, exactly, they have.
Milwaukee, meanwhile, is still figuring out what it needs. And once you start asking that question seriously, familiar names tend to come back around.
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