SPORTS LINE
The Milwaukee Bucks.
They are officially on the clock and time is running out. With less than a week until the NBA trade deadline on February 6 at 2 PM Central Time, general manager Jon Horst is undoubtedly working overtime to find a deal that can elevate this team’s title chances after a rocky couple of years. The Milwaukee Bucks are officially on the clock. With less than a week until the NBA trade deadline on February 6 at 2 PM Central Time, general manager Jon Horst is undoubtedly working overtime to find a deal that can elevate this team’s title chances. Highlights include a 7-0 mark in Emirates NBA Cup play before winning the championship over Oklahoma City. Since Nov. 12 they’ve gone 24-11 (68.6%) the fifth-best record in the league. They’re the No. 6 defense in the league with a 110.0 rating, which is points allowed per 100 possessions. They have a 115.1 offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions), ninth-best in the NBA. No team is perfect, and no doubt Horst and Rivers have identified areas the team could potentially improve and while Horst has typically saved his biggest moves for the summer, he has tinkered at the deadline every year he’s been in the general manager’s chair.
The key restriction is they can’t aggregate salaries in a trade unless they first get below the second apron and stay there. That means any deal would have to shed at least $6.5 million to create the flexibility needed. If they manage to get under, they’d also be hard-capped at $188.9 million for the rest of the season. As if that weren’t complicated enough, the Bucks are also short on trade assets. The only draft picks they can offer are a 2031 first-rounder and a 2031 second-rounder, meaning Horst has limited sweeteners to attach to any deal. Last season, for instance, Rivers was on the job for two weeks before the team swapped veteran point guards at the deadline, bringing in Patrick Beverley from Philadelphia for Cameron Payne and a second-round pick. A few weeks later, the team would use up its final roster spot with another veteran Rivers had a history of signing free-agent forward Danilo Gallinari. For Rivers, who is coaching through his 26th trade deadline, little can probably surprise him. But after over a year with the Bucks, he said he’s in a great place with Horst as they approach the 2025 deadline.
The Milwaukee Brewers.
The team has avoided an arbitration hearing with William Contreras, coming to terms for 2025. They also have come up with a creative option for 2026 as well. So, Contreras will play this season at $6 million. Contreras is also under team control for 2026 no matter what, it’s just a question of what the number is. If he plays very well, the team is likely to exercise the $12 million option to save arbitration money. If he plays poorly or gets hurt, the team will likely decline and come to terms with a smaller number via arbitration. At 27 years old, Contreras is one of the best catchers in all of baseball. He’s coming off a year in which he hit .281 with 23 homers and 92 RBI. He earned his second All-Star Game appearance and helped the Brewers win the National League Central by a whopping 10 games.
If the Brewers are going to be true contenders again in 2025, they’ll need Contreras to continue to elevate the lineup. After losing Willy Adames in free agency (San Francisco Giants), there’s even more pressure on Contreras and youngster Jackson Chourio to produce. Contreras heads into ‘25 as a catalyst for a Brewers team looking to win a third consecutive division crown. Milwaukee’s likely backup to its All-Star backstop is veteran Eric Haase.
