FanHouse

In Friday's Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Michael Redd tells reporter Charles F. Gardner he's been told the Bucks haven't sought to trade the scoring star. Mixed in with other anecdotes, it seems to imply Redd won't be on the market this summer. But take a closer look at Redd's quote.

"They called me and said they had not initiated talks about a trade, and not to pay attention to what was being said," Redd said. "Out of respect, they wanted to tell me to ignore those rumors."

Take new GM John Hammond at his word, but it doesn't mean anything. Most teams, I'd imagine, haven't yet initiated trade talks. The draft is three weeks away, and trades rarely get consummated before the big day. And while I'm not in any war room, there's certainly the sense that the real, serious negotiations don't start until everyone's had their chance to look closely at the draft prospects -- workouts just began Wednesday.

The only question which matters: does it make sense to trade Redd this summer? As a $15 million player on a small-market team with a bloated payroll and only 26 wins to show for it ... yeah, if the right deal's available, Redd should be gone. It'd be different if Milwaukee were knocking on the Eastern Conference door, but this team's not even close.

Thankfully, Redd nor Hammond seem to believe dude will be a Buck for life; these guys are realistic about the need for change. And while the discussion between the two has obviously been good for their relationship, Bucks fans and observers shouldn't read anything into this: Milwaukee's roster will change, and Redd's a likely trade candidate.