The Milwaukee Bucks have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA so far this season. After making the playoffs last year many people had the Bucks penciled in for one of the eight spots again this year but they are 16-24 and have yet to put it all together. The Bucks are not out of the playoff hunt by any means as there is still a lot of season left and they are only five games back of the eight spot but they need to make a run soon.
One way the Bucks may be able to infuse some energy into the team is by making a trade and they have interest in Kevin Martin of the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops. The interest in Martin by the Bucks is being called exploratory and it is being reported that Milwaukee is just doing its "due diligence" but there could be something there.
Milwaukee has had plenty of issues so far this season but one of the big problems has been bench scoring, particularly from their guards. Jerryd Bayless has played pretty well but besides him O.J. Mayo has played poorly, Greivis Vasquez is out with an ankle injury and both Tyler Ennis and Rashad Vaughn have been very ineffective. The Bucks could hold out hope that Mayo just breaks out of his season long shooting funk but they also could go after a proven scorer like Martin who likely wouldn't take much to acquire.
Acquiring Martin isn't a fool proof plan though, as he too is having a bad season so far. Some of Martin's poor play can be attributed to the fact that his role has been all over the place this season but when he has been on the court he is shooting just 36 percent from the field. Despite the poor season though, Martin has been a great scorer in the NBA in the past and has typically done so very efficiently so a fresh start might get him back on track.
Another obstacle for the Bucks, or anyone else looking to trade for Martin, is that he has a $7.4 million option for next season. Any team that is looking to trade for Martin would likely just want him for the remainder of this year but that option means they could be stuck with him for another season. It is unclear right now whether Martin would pick up that option but given that his value has plummeted this year it might make sense for him to pick it up.
Many people around the NBA seem to think that it is a foregone conclusion that Martin will be traded before the deadline. The Bucks have interest right now but nothing is imminent so they may not be the team that ultimately lands him. As the deadline gets closer and teams get more desperate for a scorer off the bench, the market for Martin will likely heat up.
