NBA trade proposal sends Mavericks’ Anthony Davis to Bucks

If NBA insider Zach Lowe is floating the idea that the Bucks could be desperate enough to chase Anthony Davis, it’s probably worth listening.

Because yeah. That tracks.

The Bucks don’t have many levers left to pull. They’re light on future assets, heavy on urgency, and sitting on an in-his-prime Giannis Antetokounmpo who still gives them a puncher’s chance at relevance. Trading Giannis is the nuclear option. Everything before that is fair game.

And if you’re Milwaukee, pairing Giannis with Davis probably sounds a lot better than explaining to your fan base why you’re punting seasons with a two-time MVP on the roster.

So here’s what a realistic desperation deal might actually look like, per James Piercey of Dallas Hoops Journal.

Bucks receive

• Anthony Davis

Mavericks receive

• Myles Turner
• Kyle Kuzma
• 2032 first-round pick (Milwaukee)

That’s it. No fluff. No pretending Milwaukee has more than it does.

Why Dallas Does This

Let’s be clear. The Mavericks aren’t doing this for Turner or Kuzma. Those guys are placeholders. Trade chips. Middlemen.

Dallas does this for the 2032 first-round pick.

That pick is the headliner. If the Bucks are feeling boxed in now, where exactly are they going to be six or seven years from now? Antetokounmpo will be deep into his 30s. The roster will be older. The margin for error will be gone. That pick has the potential to be gold.

From Dallas’ perspective, this is about aligning timelines. With Cooper Flagg in hand, the Mavericks should be shaping everything around the next era.

Turner and Kuzma can be rerouted. The pick gets stashed. Davis’ next contract extension gets avoided. And roughly $6 million comes off the books this season.

That’s not nothing.

Why Milwaukee Does This

Because when you have Giannis, you keep swinging.

The Bucks are living in the now. And right now, they’re staring at another season drifting sideways.

Antetokounmpo and Davis together would be an absolute nightmare defensively. Two erasers. Two rim protectors. Two guys who make life miserable. The offensive fit isn’t perfect, but the whole point is to overpower teams, not finesse them.

If it works, you’re talking Finals again. If it doesn’t, well, you were already out of answers anyway.

That’s desperation. But it’s the understandable kind.

Bigger Picture

No, Ryan Rollins isn’t in this deal. Including him would be Milwaukee crossing from desperate into reckless. Plus, he can’t even be moved until January 15 due to Bird rights restrictions.

This is the Bucks pushing their last real chips to the middle. Dallas shouldn’t expect much more. Davis’ injury history matters. His contract timing matters. His value isn’t what it once was.

And that’s exactly why this feels like a Bucks move.

Big swing. Big risk. Big consequences.

The kind you make when running out of time.