Milwaukee Bucks: Grades and reactions for the Eric Bledsoe trade

Trade motivation

Milwaukee’s motivations for executing this trade for Eric Bledsoe are likely manifold. It’s whether one led as more of a driving factor than another that will really tell us something about them as a team.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s continued emergence as not only a star talent, but as a lock to be one of the league’s very best players in the coming years creates a new kind of urgency. The Bucks have an opportunity to win over the coming seasons, and also have a responsibility to build a team to help that push. Beyond that, of course, they also need to convince Antetokounmpo to stay beyond his current contract.

A 4-5 start to the season and a three-game losing streak likely played some part in the Bucks’ decision to make a move.

Still, considering the relatively low price they paid for the talent coming to Milwaukee, it would be hard to describe this as a knee-jerk move, although Bucks fans and observers will be left to wonder if the deal would have been made if the team had started 7-2.

With everything taken into account, the Bucks had plenty of reasons to look for a way to inject their roster with more talent, and they’ve grabbed the opportunity with both hands.