The Milwaukee Bucks have one of the best players in the NBA in Giannis Antetokounmpo. He's a top-five player in the league by any measure. He is the biggest reason why the Bucks were able to win the NBA title back in 2021 over the Phoenix Suns. As long as the Bucks have him, they think they can be a contender to win the title every year.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had a short but sweet message to Khris Middleton on social media after his longtime teammate was traded earlier in the day.

For starters, that means they can’t aggregate salaries in a trade. No package deals, no three-for-one swaps. Any deal they make has to be a straight-up, one-for-one swap. That’s a nightmare for a team that desperately needs roster upgrades.

It will be difficult for the Bucks, who have salary cap restraints, to make a big splash before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

The Milwaukee Bucks were involved in a big trade on Wednesday night that sent Khris Middleton to the Washington Wizards. The Bucks picked up Kyle Kuzma and Patrick Baldwin Jr. Milwaukee got active again on Thursday just hours before the trade deadline as they traded Baldwin to the San Antonio Spurs.