Milwaukee Bucks: Assessing Jon Horst’s performance heading into draft night

Trading for Eric Bledsoe

Shortly after the 2017-18 season began, Jon Horst traded Greg Monroe along with a protected first and second-round pick to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for point guard Eric Bledsoe.

Monroe was coming off a year in which he became a solid contributor off the bench for the Bucks, but his future with the team was murky as he was in the final year of his contract.

Eric Bledsoe publicly expressed his desire to be traded from the Suns, in effect lowering his trade value and ultimately forcing a deal that turned out to be a bargain for the Bucks.

Eric Bledsoe’s fast-twitch athleticism brought a new dynamic to the Bucks’ point guard position that the team had lacked for quite some time. Although his fit wasn’t perfect, it was worthwhile taking a look at what a guard like him could bring to the table next to Giannis.

After a polarizing season ended with an underwhelming playoff series performance for him, Bledsoe’s future with the Bucks is now unclear and has led to recent speculation that he could be traded.

Even if Bledsoe’s future is not with the team, the Bucks’ 2017-18 record allowed them to postpone forfeiting their first-round pick to the Suns for at least another year because of the pick’s protections, making the trade still a win for Milwaukee. Bledsoe is still valuable as a trade chip on an expiring deal or as a solid starter for at least one more year.

Grade: B+