The Milwaukee Bucks still have roster work to do before Opening Night next month, but one suggested path doesn’t do much to help them. With 17 players on the books, Milwaukee has to trim to 15, and the goal should be to find a move that improves the roster while cleaning up the cap sheet. A Bleacher Report proposal this week would do neither cleanly.
The framework is straightforward from Milwaukee’s side: send A.J. Green to Golden State and bring in Orlando center Wendell Carter Jr.
In the three-team idea floated by Andy Bailey, the Bucks would land Carter Jr. while the Warriors and Magic handle the rest of the blockbuster. The concept is workable on paper, especially because Milwaukee has a large trade exception from the Giannis Antetokounmpo deal that could help make the salary math fit.
But fitting the deal under the rules is only part of the equation. Carter Jr. is set to make $18.1 million this season, compared with Green’s $10 million, and that extra money would push Milwaukee much closer to the tax line and the first apron.
After the trade, the Bucks would be just $2 million under the tax. That doesn’t automatically break the plan, since the current cap figures already account for what’s owed to the rostered players, and Milwaukee could still cut two players on expiring deals while avoiding adding more salary than it sends out until the summer of 2027.
The bigger issue is what all that spending buys. The Bucks already have plenty of center depth, and adding another player who deserves starter minutes only makes the logjam worse.
Myles Turner and Kel'el Ware are both already on the roster, and the challenge is figuring out how to get the most out of both. Jericho Sims is also still under contract after what the source describes as his best season.
In that light, swapping Green for Carter Jr. looks more like a tidy asset move than a smart basketball decision. Carter Jr. is a solid player, but Milwaukee would be using precious cap space to add a third center without solving its bigger lineup questions.
Unless Turner were moved out as well - and that has apparently been difficult - the fit is awkward. With expectations not especially high this season, the cleaner path might be to let Ware start and see what he can do.
That said, Carter Jr. isn’t some throwaway name. If you’re reacting strongly to the idea of passing on him, it’s worth remembering how appealing he looked a few years ago.
Three seasons ago, he had just put up 15 points, nearly 9 rebounds and 2 assists per game while shooting 35% from 3. At that point, adding the 23-year-old version of Carter Jr. would have been a no-brainer.
That player hasn’t shown up again in Orlando. Carter Jr. has stalled over the last few seasons, in part because of the Magic’s shifting roster and coaching changes.
Last season, he averaged 11.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 29 minutes per game, starting all 78 games he appeared in. The production was useful, but the perimeter shot faded badly: he shot 31.9 percent from deep last season and 23.4 percent the year before.
Turner and Ware have both offered more from beyond the arc, each topping 38% from 3 last season, while also posting comparable production. Turner averaged 11.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in what the source calls a down season, and Ware put up 11.1 points, 9 rebounds and 0.7 assists in just 22 minutes per game, with more than half of his appearances coming off the bench.
There’s nothing wrong with being intrigued by Carter Jr. in a general sense. But for Milwaukee right now, adding another solid, non-star center doesn’t really move the needle.
A Green-for-veteran swap could still make sense elsewhere. This one just doesn’t feel like the answer.
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