Behind the Bucks Pass
Fansided

What Will The Milwaukee Bucks Do With Greivis Vasquez?

By Ti Windisch

Nov 11, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Greivis Vasquez (21) during the game against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 11, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Greivis Vasquez (21) during the game against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Should he actually return to action this month, will Greivis Vasquez remain with the Milwaukee Bucks for the rest of the season?

The Milwaukee Bucks may be welcoming one of their own back to the fold after a pretty long absence. Greivis Vasquez has not played since November 27th thanks to a bone spur in his foot, but about two weeks ago on Twitter we got an update on his situation that seemed a bit unbelievable.

Vasquez’s original timetable for return from his December surgery was 3-4 months, so naturally it was a surprise when Woelfel dropped a Woebomb claiming he’d be back in just one month. The Woebomb was thus largely ignored, until Vasuqez himself dropped a bomb on the Bucks community.

An Instagram video of Vasquez working out furiously is far from a guarantee that he’ll be back in January, but he’s clearly recovering pretty well. Greivis has been in high spirits since the Atlanta game, in which he was the most vocal bench celebrator on Milwaukee’s typically silent sideline.

His being on the bench is as noteworthy as his high spirits are. Traveling with the team can sometimes indicate a player is closer to returning. Much like the video it’s by no means a sure sign that Greivis Vasquez will be back within two weeks, but signs are starting to show that it’s possible.

Vasquez’s potentially-imminent return raises a lot of questions for the Milwaukee Bucks. If he can get healthy before the trade deadline, Vasquez could be a semi-valuable trade chip.

More from Bucks News

The Bucks have a deep enough point guard rotation to move either Vasquez or Jerryd Bayless, but it just feels like Bayless is going to stick with the team through the trade deadline. He’s been in Milwaukee for a while now and has clearly established himself as a favorite of Jason Kidd, meaning there’s slim odds he gets jettisoned from the Bucks.

Vasquez, meanwhile, is a newcomer to Milwaukee. If the Bucks could recoup some of the picks they gave up to get Vasquez by dealing him around the trade deadline it’d be good for Milwaukee’s long-term future. Asking for a first is going to be a hard sell though, unless the move is some sort of big time salary dump.

I’ve brought up Vasquez for Kevin Martin trades in the past, and if Minnesota really wants to avoid paying Martin $7.5 million next season they could attach a second round pick to him in a deal with the Bucks.

The only problem there is that Minnesota doesn’t have much in 2016 to give Milwaukee, so picks might have to be a year or more down the line. The Timberwolves will likely keep their top-12 protected first round pick, but if they do they’ll owe their second-rounder to Boston.

If Houston manages to stay where they’re at in the standings or get any better, they’ll have to send a second-round pick to Minnesota. That pick could be dealt to Milwaukee for taking Martin, with the caveat that if the Rockets tumble any further down the standings the protected 31-45 pick will amount to nothing.

That’s still better odds than the massively-protected picks that Washington and Dallas sent to the Bucks will ever amount to anything, but that’s not exactly saying much. Milwaukee probably wouldn’t want to potentially pay Kevin Martin $7.5 million next year for the chance at a low second round pick anyway.

There could be other suitors out there for Vasquez if he regains his shooting form between now and the All-Star break, and the Bucks would be smart to maximize his value while they have him. Although the playoff push technically isn’t dead yet, getting a real draft pick back for Vasquez seems more beneficial than keeping him around to make an insane push for the eighth seed.

Besides, the Bucks have been pretty good lately without Vasquez. Bayless is cheaper and could be dealt easier, but he feels like a more essential part of this team right now and probably wouldn’t be traded unless some team seriously overpays for him.

I’ve been talking about this crowded point guard situation for a while now, and with Greivis Vasquez potentially set to return the issue is reemerging. One of these four guys should be traded. Maybe even sending out some Tyler Ennis feelers wouldn’t be a bad idea.

The Brooklyn Nets sorely need young talent, especially at the point guard position. If the Bucks could snag an intriguing wing player like Wayne Ellington or Bojan Bogdanovic (who could be brought in on a one-for-one Ennis deal using the Jared Dudley or Zaza Pachulia trade exceptions) from Brooklyn in exchange for the promise of Ennis becoming something later, then why not add real wing depth?

More from Behind the Buck Pass

The Nets obviously don’t have any picks to give, but getting one of those two guys seems like fair return for Ennis. Things in Milwaukee have been pretty quiet aside from a few rumors and the Bucks apparently putting Miles Plumlee on the trade block, but that could change just as fast as it did on deadline day last year.

Seeing what the Milwaukee Bucks do with all of their four point guards will be very interesting, should Greivis Vasquez actually return to action this January. Vasquez could end up getting O.J. Mayo‘s minutes if the Bucks do elect to keep him.

Mayo has been struggling mightily all season, and although Vasquez started off just as cold he was starting to heat up before his injury. Juice’s veteran leadership has been essentially invaluable to the Bucks because he’s been about the only one providing it, but that shouldn’t guarantee him minutes if he can’t make those outside shots.

Next: Khris Middleton is Mr. Clutch

There are a whole lot of different aspects of the Bucks that will be altered by Vasquez returning. All of these different butterfly effects makes his potential return interesting for fans of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Home/Bucks News