The NBA summer break is almost over and the playoffs are looming on the horizon, but there is still some time to do a little player shopping and some player trading.

Last week, the New York Knicks were reportedly trying to reinforce their offensive play by trading away some of their guards. It seems that just recently, it's confirmed that guards J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert are on the trading block.

The Milwaukee Bucks, at the same time, were reported to be looking to improve their backcourt by trading off players of their own, particularly OJ Mayo and Ersan Ilyasova. Although the Knicks' trade offer is up and open, the Bucks are unlikely to take the trade offer - at least when Smith is involved.

Joel Brigham, writer for Basketball Insiders, wrote Thursday, "J.R. Smith is NOT coming to Milwaukee. They want the ball in the hands of Jabari Parker and Giannis (Antetokounmpo) as much as possible on the offensive end and Smith would eat a lot of that up."

"I like Shumpert, though, and he could play pretty much anywhere. Not sure I see a deal between these two teams, but the Kidd connection certainly is there. If Kidd felt strongly, I'm sure the higher-ups would consider it. I don't see this specific recommendation happening, though. Smith is a bad fit on the young Bucks," Brigham adds.

Jason Kidd, the Buck's head coach, had played his last season in the NBA with the Knicks where Smith and Shumpert as his teammates.

Smith's poor performance last season and his expensive contract hurt his trade value pretty badly. Shumpert on the other hand is an excellent defender, but his offensive capabilities are lacking, making his appeal limited.