Ever since Jimmy Butler requested a trade and the Bucks started popping up in rumors, Khris Middleton has been in that conversation too. Even if Butler isn’t the target, some fans want Milwaukee to upgrade to another star on the wing, and Zach LaVine is the name of late. That would mean the Bucks need to trade away $48m in salary in order to get beneath the second apron, where they would be hard-capped as a result of aggregating players.
This is out of necessity, to be sure: Middleton’s contract—as would those of Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton—would be needed to acquire anyone making north of $40m this season.