Milwaukee Bucks: Grades and reactions for the Tyler Zeller trade
By Adam McGee
Overall trade grade
The toughest part in grading this move is that with days remaining until the trade deadline, there’s still a chance that other similarly priced centers get moved for similar or less to what Milwaukee has just paid for Zeller.
In saying that, a variety of reports have painted Milwaukee as doing their due diligence on other notable big men. Michael Scotto of The Athletic reported Bucks’ interest in Kyle O’Quinn, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News reported their interest in Dewayne Dedmon, and every NBA reporter of note has pointed out the team’s interest in DeAndre Jordan in recent months.
The clear narrative to emerge from all of that is the Bucks wanted a center and certainly explored a variety of different options. If they couldn’t get a deal done at the same price for any of those other players, or a price they felt was similarly worthwhile relative to the upgrade in talent, why should they opt for overpaying rather than taking a low-key deal for a solid, proven veteran like Zeller?
Not only is Zeller the cheapest of that group for a team restricted by the luxury tax and a lack of appealing low-cost trade assets, but he’s also the only one of those players whose contract is controllable at a similar cost for next year.
At present, the buyout market isn’t looking all that appealing and waiting to take that route doesn’t seem likely to have been more worthwhile.
Greg Monroe will be the best center to have been available in that regard this season and trade regulations prohibited the Bucks from picking him up again. Andrew Bogut is a popular name for Bucks fans due to a combination of sentimentality and profile, but the reality is he’s failed to offer any kind of contribution on bad teams in successive years, and his body certainly seems to be feeling the toll of an injury-plagued career.
A massively underrated element of acquiring Zeller is the fact he’s under contract for next season at just $1.9 million, but that year comes without guarantees. In other words, if he’s productive, the Bucks have an incredibly cheap rotation big that allows them to funnel their limited resources elsewhere in the summer, and if he fails to contribute they can cut ties and upgrade at no extra cost.
The real cost here is the second round pick, and as I’ve touched on already, the pick moving in this deal is not in line to be a pick in the 30s like Brogdon or McCaw were picked with, or even a pick in the 40s like was used for Brown and Powell. Draft picks in that more appealing range will be available for $2-3 million on draft night, in money that doesn’t count against the cap.
If the Bucks are serious about winning, they can and should be committed to finding a second round pick again, and with that in mind, moving a pick that at best is approaching the mid-50s in a future draft isn’t something worth being up in arms about.
Zeller will help the Bucks in the coming months and may well even be around to help further next year. Barring a superior player being moved for less in the coming days, this deal could look even better with time, but as it is, it’s a solid if unspectacular deal that should serve Milwaukee well.
Grade: B-
Next: Win In 6 Podcast #183: Reactions to the Tyler Zeller trade
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