Milwaukee Bucks: 3 players most likely to be traded before deadline

3. Tony Snell

The Bucks love Tony Snell, and outside of some tense times last season, he has been a key part of the rotation since arriving via trade from the Chicago Bulls in October of 2016. In the summer of 2017 the team re-signed him to a four year, $46 million contract after a strong season as the starting 2-guard.

Yet the reality is that once the team traded for Eric Bledsoe a few months later, Snell’s role in the starting lineup became marginalized. The Bucks eventually figured out that Malcolm Brogdon was good enough that he needed to be starting, which slid Snell to the bench in a role he was less maximized in.

Snell is not going to create offense by himself, with a usage rate of 13.6 percent this season — second-to-last on the team. Instead he excels as a catch-and-shoot player who can knock down open looks or attack closeouts. Defensively he is capable but not excellent, able to defend opposing wings but not someone who elevates the players around him.

That means that Snell may be more valuable to a team looking to gain a solid two-way starter on the wing. Teams in the playoff mix such as the Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets could all use him. His salary might be tricky to match, but while his contract is not a bargain, it’s not a huge overpay either.

In the right context he could be easily worth that money, and he can provide help right now to a team that needs it. In Milwaukee, he’s largely duplicitous and relegated to a minor role on the bench, meaning the Bucks wouldn’t feel the loss in a major way.