Milwaukee Bucks dodged a bullet in 2016 Ben McLemore trade talks
By Adam McGee
After Khris Middleton‘s preseason injury last season, the Milwaukee Bucks explored a host of options, and should be glad they didn’t take the Sacramento Kings’ Ben McLemore proposal.
Much of the optimism that had started to surround the Milwaukee Bucks as the season approached last September was quickly taken away in one fell swoop.
When Khris Middleton tore his hamstring by slipping on a wet spot in practice, the Bucks were forced to act quickly and search for reinforcements.
Soon after, Tyler Ennis departed for the Houston Rockets with Michael Beasley landing in Milwaukee, but before Tony Snell would join the Bucks in exchange for a Chicago-bound Michael Carter-Williams, the team also explored other options.
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Charlotte Hornets wing Jeremy Lamb was a name that often surfaced, as was Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore.
The former seventh overall pick was widely rumored to be available, and it was no secret that he was the source of concrete offers from the Bucks.
At the time, ESPN’s Marc Stein reported the following:
"“The Bucks, sources say, have since offered former Rookie of the Year guard Michael Carter-Williams to the Sacramento Kings in a trade proposal for Ben McLemore and will continue to probe for potential deals after the Kings rebuffed that pitch for 2013’s No. 7 overall pick.”"
So, although it was no secret that the Bucks picked up the phone in an attempt to broker a deal, we never knew exactly what the Kings demanded to ultimately make the deal a non-runner.
Until now that is.
In a recent episode of James Ham’s “The Kings Insider” podcast for CSN California, Carter-Williams’ name came up in a conversation about draft workouts and the comparisons prospects make — for the record Carter-Williams was said to have compared himself to Jason Kidd — sparking Ham to relay this detail of those trade talks:
"“Last year the Kings were offered Michael Carter-Williams straight up for Ben McLemore, and the Kings asked for a first round pick to go with it. For Ben McLemore.”"
Considering the Bucks were able to flip Carter-Williams for Snell shortly after, it was a wise decision not to go that little bit extra at a time when Sacramento was obviously trying to exploit the Bucks’ very obvious need for capable wing play.
| Player | Season | Age | G | GS | MP | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | eFG% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben McLemore | 2016-17 | 23 | 61 | 26 | 19.3 | 6.9 | .430 | 2.8 | .382 | .507 | 1.5 | .753 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 8.1 |
| Tony Snell | 2016-17 | 25 | 80 | 80 | 29.2 | 6.8 | .455 | 4.4 | .406 | .588 | 0.7 | .810 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 8.5 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/6/2017.
A quick look at the duo’s per game numbers for the season shows that Snell was the more efficient of the pair on the year, and that’s without accounting for his far superior defensive contributions too.
McLemore is still an interesting player who hasn’t yet reached anything close to what seemed like his full potential when he entered the league, so maybe the Bucks could rekindle interest in his services at some point down the line.
Next: Win In 6 Podcast #128: Final front office candidates, Jason Kidd’s season
Looking back on what ultimately became a surprisingly successful season with Snell, Bucks fans should breathe a sigh of relief that they didn’t take the Kings up on that particular offer in the fall of 2016, though.