Milwaukee Bucks rumors: Want to trade OJ Mayo, Ersan Ilyasova

Although the Milwaukee Bucks were able to snag Jabari Parker in the 2014 NBA Draft and have Larry Sanders on their roster, they’re still a while away from competing – even in the top heavy Eastern Conference.

More from Milwaukee Bucks

• Predicting NBA’s Christmas Day Schedule: Lakers, Warriors highlight slate of postseason rematches
• The new NBA flopping rules explained
• 5 players Sixers could acquire in Harden deal to stay competitive
• NBA Rumors: 5 best trade destinations for James Harden to win championship
• NBA Free Agency: Bucks keep Khris Middleton around for long-term gains

Knowing they need to make some moves to better not only their roster but their payroll situation, the Bucks are said to be shopping both O.J. Mayo and Ersan Ilyasova to parties with interest.

That’s the word from Basketball Insiders’ Joel Brigham, who suggested such during a response to a fan question in his weekly chat.

"Both are being shopped. Ilyasova should have been traded like three years ago, but ownership loved him so much that they wouldn’t let him go. These days he’s not quite as valuable as he used to be, but he’s still a piece that can be sold off for something. Mayo hasn’t worked out the way the Milwaukee Bucks hoped he would, but his contract isn’t completely untradable and they’d certainly like to get a player back that can actually play, or at least an asset that can help them move forward with their rebuilding."

While both Mayo and Ilyasova do have some value, it’s certainly not enough to get the Milwaukee Bucks anything that will help turn the franchise around so their best bet is to clear cap space and/or acquire additional draft picks.

O.J. Mayo is set to become a free agent after the 2015-16 season and is due $8 million dollars in each of his next two years while Erasn Ilyasova is due $7.9 million in both 2014-15 and 2015-16. He also holds a non-fully guaranteed buyout option for the 2016-17 season.