Milwaukee Bucks Reportedly Trading Roy Hibbert To Denver Nuggets
By Adam McGee
The Milwaukee Bucks have reportedly traded veteran big man Roy Hibbert to the Denver Nuggets.
Far from the kind of blockbuster trade that many Milwaukee Bucks fans may have been hoping for, but it seems as if the front office has made a move of some sort at the NBA Trade Deadline.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Bucks have sent veteran center Roy Hibbert to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for a heavily protected second round pick.
Milwaukee is finalzing a deal to send Roy Hibbert to the Denver Nuggets, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 23, 2017
Denver will send a heavily protected second-round pick to the Bucks for Hibbert, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 23, 2017
Details on the exact protection of the draft pick have yet to emerge, but according to Charles Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Denver pick is for the 2019 draft.
Pick Bucks are acquiring is for 2019 draft.
— cfgardner (@cf_gardner) February 23, 2017
This will likely be a top-55 protected pick destined for Milwaukee, much like they received for the likes of Zaza Pachulia and Jared Dudley in the past. In other words, the pick will almost certainly never convey to Milwaukee, instead acting purely as a placeholder that fills the technical requirement for an asset to change hands in a deal.
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Hibbert arrived in Milwaukee earlier this month alongside Spencer Hawes as a part of the deal that saw Miles Plumlee traded to the Charlotte Hornets, and never took to the floor in his time as a Buck.
Although Hibbert could potentially have had a role to play as a veteran defensive center, as a player suffering from ongoing, niggling injuries and destined for free agency this summer, there was no real motivation for the Bucks to retain the 30-year-old’s services.
In moving Hibbert, the Bucks most notably open up a roster spot which could be used to further bolster the team in terms of 10-day contracts or free agent signings in the coming days and weeks.
This could see the Bucks turn to a D-League standout for a larger opportunity in the NBA proper, scour the buyout market that will emerge in the aftermath of the deadline, or even take a chance on a proven NBA veteran who’s still working toward getting back into the league.
The Bucks will now have a chance to weigh up their options and decide what they’re going to do next, while having slightly eased their log-jam at the center spot which now only stands at four players.
Next: Milwaukee Bucks History: Every Bucks NBA Trade Deadline Deal
If Milwaukee does add a player to that 15th roster spot as a free agent, a point guard would seem like an option worth exploring.