Gary Neal has been traded as expected and the Charlotte Bobcats have acquired him from the Milwaukee Bucks and now players like Luke Ridnour, Caron Butler, Ersan Ilyasova and OJ Mayo could be next to get traded at the deadline.
According to the Charlotte Observer, the deal has gone through and now the Bucks are ready to deal Neal and there is a chance that Ramon Sessions could be in the deal. Neal was considered a solid option on the market and a number of teams were interested in him.
We will update as Neal has now been traded. The Milwaukee Bucks are the worst team in the league and that has sparked trade rumors involving names like Luke Ridnour, OJ Mayo, Caron Butler, Ersan Ilyasova and Larry Sanders and teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls or Indiana Pacers could get in on the action as the trading deadline approaches.
The Bucks knew they would be bad in 2013-14, but not this bad and the team has just nine wins and 43 losses already this season and that means a fire sale could be coming. The 26-year-old Ilyasova has been a major disappointment and he has been frustrated with his role on the team and the way the Bucks have played overall and now they are clearly in the middle of a huge rebuilding project. According to SI.com, the San Antonio Spurs could be a trade partner, as they like Gary Neal, who has championship experience with the team, while Ilyasova is also a target.
Neal has been the most mentioned name after he had a dust up with the team earlier in the season and Ridnour has been getting more and more buzz as the deadline gets closer, including from the Washington Wizards, as they would like more depth behind John Wall at point guard. The team has even more trade chips than that, as Mayo, Butler and Ilyasova as well as Sanders could be on the move, although Sanders likely isn't going anywhere, as he is on the mend for six weeks and just signed an expensive four year contract.
Neal has been a disappointment along with Ilyasova and he started to come on heading into the All-Star break and other options ,may include the Warriors, Raptors and Golden State Warriors. According to CBS Sports, the Thunder, Warriors and Raptors have the flexibility to take on the $3 million salary of Neal and that makes him the most likely option with Ilyasova to move. Ridnour is a target for the Wizards and the Sacramento Kings, as both teams want a backup option at point guard for more depth and heading into the deadline, Mayo should get more interest as as well. Ilyasova could be a good fit for a number of teams and while he has not played up to his potential in Milwaukee, a change of scenery could mean a great deal.
Ilyasova has been averaging nearly 30 minutes per game but he has been unhappy, just like another Turkish star in Omer Asik in Houston and now both of those players could end up moving at the deadline. Ilyasova and Caron Butler are options for the Bucks to move and so is Mayo, who signed with the team this past offseason. Yahoo Sports reports that numerous teams have called in about Neal and a team like the Pacers could be a fit as they try to make a championship run and he would be a solid role player in the mix.
The NBA trade deadline is heating up and the date is February 20 and while Ilyasova could get traded, Neal and Ridnour are the most likely players to get moved by the Bucks this season.