All-Time Worst 10 Milwaukee Bucks Trades
By Ti Windisch
1. Gary Payton and Desmond Mason acquired from Seattle in exchange for Ray Allen, Kevin Ollie, Ron Murray and conditional draft pick
To start off, here are George Karl‘s quotes on Ray Allen after the Bucks traded him for half a season of Gary Payton and Desmond Mason, as taken from this old Page 2 article:
"“Ray Allen was nothing but trouble,” Karl says. “We had no choice but to get rid of him.”"
Desmond Mason had an okay Milwaukee career, averaging 14.3 points per game in four Milwaukee seasons. Ray Allen, in eleven NBA seasons after being traded, averaged 18.2 points per game on 45 percent field goal shooting and 40 percent three-point shooting.
And that’s not even counting the 25 points per game he scored in the first half season he played in Seattle. Allen won two rings in Boston and Miami, while Milwaukee failed to ever make the Finals in his career. But yes George Karl, the Bucks had no choice but to get rid of him.
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Or, you know, they could have not done that and kept him and his Hall of Fame-worthy career in Milwaukee. Trading Ray Allen because Karl refuses to ever get along with great players (see Cousins, Boogie for a current example) is easily the worst trade in Bucks history.
Allen was a legitimate star and just 27 years old. His game did not rely on athleticism entirely, so it was obvious his shooting talent would allow him to remain a productive player for a long time.
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The Bucks dealt him for Desmond Mason and a Gary Payton rental. That’s unequivocally awful.