Milwaukee Bucks guard Matthew Dellavedova‘s name again surfaced in trade rumors prior to the draft, and that’s unlikely to change in the coming weeks.
In spite of trade rumors prior to Thursday’s NBA Draft, Matthew Dellavedova remains a Milwaukee Bucks player for now.
Since arriving via a sign and trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the summer of 2016, Dellavedova has largely disappointed, battling injuries and inconsistent play, while generally failing to live up to the standards he set during his time with the Cavs.
Still owed $19.2 million over the next two seasons — a contract that is now widely viewed as close to a sunk cost — Dellavedova is likely among the players the Bucks would be most motivated to trade heading into free agency, in spite of plenty of positive mentions about the influence of his leadership on the roster.
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Of course, that doesn’t mean a deal is likely to happen. Finding a trade partner will be considerably more difficult following the draft, when the Bucks were said to be willing to package their 17th pick with Dellavedova to offload his salary while moving down in the draft.
Not making a deal on draft night may make it increasingly difficult to move Dellavedova, but it’s also worth noting that the Bucks’ decisions on draft night likely point to a future without the Australian veteran too.
In drafting Donte DiVincenzo out of Villanova with the 17th pick, the Bucks added the prospect in the draft who may have been best suited to replacing Dellavedova’s skill-set and play-style.
The 21-year-old comes to the NBA with a reputation as a good shooter, a hard-nosed defender whose competitive nature often helps him to overcome his deficiencies in terms of wingspan, and a playmaker who may be best suited to an NBA role where he plays alongside a ball-dominant wing.
In many ways that was the scouting report and the appeal of adding Dellavedova back in 2016, but DiVincenzo has more weapons in his arsenal too, including a colossal edge in athleticism, and that may pave the way for him to soak up some of Dellavedova’s minutes in the relative short-term too.
As a rookie there’ll be no guarantee that DiVincenzo will be ready to contribute, but during his time in Atlanta, Mike Budenholzer certainly didn’t shirk any of the risk associated with playing first-year players as a part of his rotation.
Currently with Thon Maker on international duty with the Australian Boomers, Dellavedova was asked about the rumors from draft night and seemed generally unconcerned.
.@matthewdelly weighs in on the #NBADraft Day trade rumours 👀 pic.twitter.com/tpbPbTNpnx
— NBL (@NBL) June 22, 2018
At this point he’s no stranger to trade rumors, and the reality is he’ll likely have to continue dealing with them throughout the summer, and beyond toward the end of his contract.
Next: Milwaukee Bucks: Getting to know 17th overall pick, Donte DiVincenzo
If the Bucks can’t find a team willing to take Dellavedova’s contract on without paying an excessive cost, they’ll have to hope the veteran guard can stay healthy and recover some of his pre-Milwaukee form next season.