Milwaukee Bucks: Realistic trade ideas to acquire Victor Oladipo

Speculation continues to revolve around potential trade partners for Victor Oladipo, but could the Milwaukee Bucks emerge as a realistic destination?

The Milwaukee Bucks are expected to make important moves to improve their roster this offseason, and the idea of acquiring Indiana Pacers’ guard Victor Oladipo has gained traction as the transaction window nears closer.

After another disappointing playoff exit, the Bucks should be eager to aggressively pursue an upgrade to their backcourt, and they have already been linked with trade targets such as Oklahoma City’s Chris Paul, New Orleans’ Jrue Holiday, and Sacramento’s Bogdan Bogdanovic. Now, Victor Oladipo could become one of the names to watch for as well.

Rumors of the Bucks being linked to Oladipo most recently escalated once ESPN’s Zach Lowe mentioned Milwaukee as a team to monitor in regard to potential Oladipo suitors. During his latest podcast of ‘The Lowe Post’ with The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, Lowe stated:

"“I’ll give you a team I’m keeping my eye on with Victor Oladipo: Milwaukee. Just keeping my eye on them. That’s all I’m going to say.”"

For the record, this was only speculation, but it certainly raises eyebrows since Zach is very well-respected and has trustworthy connections around the league. It also makes sense since Oladipo seems to be in a conflicting situation with Indiana, and the Bucks appear to be shopping for an established two-way guard that can efficiently complement All-Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton on both ends of the floor.

Oladipo is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2021 as he enters the last year of his four-year, $85 million contract (set to make $21 million for 2020-21 NBA season). He’s eligible to receive a contract extension, but the Pacers have reportedly been unwilling to offer him the contract that he and his representatives have requested.

As a result, it’s likely that Oladipo and the Pacers are on a course to eventually part ways. A trade would then be the most likely scenario in this case since Indiana would prefer to receive at least some value in return for his services rather than losing him for nothing in 2021 free agency.

Let’s examine whether the Milwaukee Bucks could serve as a realistic trade destination for Victor Oladipo this offseason by analyzing his valued contributions and diving into what a potential deal might look like.