Bucks must draw a line on Nikola Jovic in Giannis trade talks

The Milwaukee Bucks should not be eager to acquire Nikola Jovic in any trade that sends Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat. While he's a young player with room to grow, his contract is far from ideal. For a Milwaukee team that would embrace a rebuild without Giannis, they likely would not want to tie themselves to a multi-year deal for a player who didn't exactly impress last season.

A four-year deal worth $62.4 million is about to kick in for Jovic. In their defense, Miami gave Jovic that deal after his potential-filled third season had many thinking he was due for a further breakout. Unfortunately for them, things did not go according to plan in year four, with the forward seeing his minutes decrease. Now, they find themselves in a predicament without an out.

They would be eager to get out of that deal in a Giannis trade rather than be tied to him for the next four years. Sure, a contract like that could be a useful trade asset in the future, especially if Jovic is capable of turning things around, but it might be better to have more flexibility in the present to build around Giannis. However, the Milwaukee Bucks should not be eager to absorb it into the payroll.

When looking at Miami's potential offer for Giannis, the forward is far from one of Miami's top assets. Kel'el Ware, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, and Pelle Larsson are all much more desirable pieces than Jovic. Some of that boils down to the level of production, while the contracts they have also play a role.

Would adding Jovic be the worst-case scenario for the Milwaukee Bucks? No. As mentioned, he has shown glimpses of being a capable rotational player. Having just turned 23, the forward has plenty of room to further grow. With a more prominent role on a rebuilding Milwaukee squad, perhaps Jovic could spread his wings and live up to his annual salary of $15.6 million.

Yet, with all of the other assets Miami could put on the table, the Milwaukee Bucks should draw a line in the sand that they want all of them before Jovic. No one would blame that, especially considering all of this is for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.

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