NBA rumors: Bucks walked away from Nuggets trade talks, but rival execs would've pulled trigger appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Milwaukee Bucks were in a roster crunch right before the start of the season, and there was uncertainty about what move they would make to get down to the necessary 15 players. As a result, they waived Kevin Porter Jr., but apparently, they had a deal on the table from the Denver Nuggets that could've gotten them extra assets.
For some reason, the Bucks turned down the offer , according to The Stein Line.
"The Stein Line has learned that the Nuggets showed a willingness to package two future second-rounders and a second-round pick swap along with Zeke Nnaji's very available contract in a bid to bring Kevin Porter Jr. to the Rocky Mountains," The Stein Line wrote. "Yet I'm told that the Bucks ultimately walked away from the Porter-to-Denver discussions as well — and then waived Porter Jr. — because they could not stomach the idea of swallowing Nnaji's $7.5 million salary for the 2027-28 season.
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"Upon learning of those Porter-centric trade talks, I asked five salary cap specialists from rival teams if they liked the deal from the Bucks' standpoint. All five said they would have made the move if they were in Milwaukee's shoes, noting that the Bucks can currently point to only four second-round picks in their cupboard … and zero between 2028-2032."
The one interesting thing about the Bucks not wanting to take on Nnaji's contract is that they have cap space for next season, so it wouldn't have hurt them to make the trade. They would've gotten more picks and a pick swap, but it looks like they could be using their cap space for something big in the near future.
There's no telling what the Bucks have planned because it's hard to see them being competitive anytime soon, but they have young players that another team could want in a deal.
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